Author Archives: Small Business Planned

About Small Business Planned

*** DO NOT DELETE THIS PROFILE *** This is the profile of David Moloney, web designer from smallbusinessplanned.com. This profile allows smallbusinessplanned to continually deliver your hosting bonuses. If you delete this profile, your hosting bonuses will also cease. If you have any questions, please email me at david@smallbusinessplanned.com

Anchor Text Improves SEO

9 Replies

Links are the currency of the internet. Links create and build reputations, greasing the internet with every click. In fact Google’s all powerful algorithm is primarily based on link authority. It’s powerful stuff. It’s not just the link itself that carries the SEO power. It’s the text within the link that carries the Google juice. This text is known as anchor text. This is how you can harness this power for your website.

Would Admiral Anchor Text Approve of Your Links?

Consider how Google updates (or caches) internet sites for its index. It sends out millions of virtual automated Google spiders to trawl the internet and record the content on each page. These spiders will read the information and links on each page. Each time someone searches Google, Google will return results based on applying its algorithm to the latest Google spider information.

Since the Google spiders are automated and computer driven, they use pre-determined logic to interpret links. They can’t reason like us humans. For instance, if you write the sentence and link ‘Free fuel is going to save me money’, the Google spider assumes that the page you’re linking to is all about ‘save me money’, so it indexes it accordingly. This is a shame, because the page is actually all about ‘free fuel’.

Don’t try and be clever. Use logical anchor text.

Don’t Use Click Here

Back in the early days of the internet, people used ‘click here’ to identify their links. The Internet was just a baby, so writers had to shape behaviour in an unfamiliar environment. These days people instinctively know that words in blue text are links.

For a search engine optimisation perspective, using ‘click here’ is useless. It does not inform the Google spiders of page content and therefore it does not improve your SEO. Using ‘click here’ as your anchor text is a wasted opportunity, that is, unless you want to rank for the term. Mind you, Adobe already have dibs on the term with their free acrobat PDF reader. Search for click here and see for yourself.

Which Anchor Text Phrase Should I Target?

Choices, choices. The anchor text phrase that you target should align with the search terms that your customers are using. For example, your anchor text could be ‘Melbourne Flower Delivery’ or ‘Bondi Dentist.’ The phrase you target should:

Reflect your business or product
Align to what your customers are searching for
Have a basic level of search traffic (see the Google Keyword Tool and Market Samurai)
Ideally, not have a high level of competition

The anchor text holly grail would be to have your business name and website address as your anchor text. As long as it meets the above criteria, you’re in for a great chance of success.

Consistency is the Key

Important: The advice I offer below is now out of date. See my newer article which advises to Mix up Your Anchor Text

Use your targetted anchor text phrase at every opportunity (without being spammy). This could include:

In your call to action
In your forum signatures
In your on-site articles
In your off-site articles

Over time Google will start to understand that your website is the place to go for information about your anchor text, eg: ‘Melbourne Flower Delivery’ or ‘Bondi Dentist’. That means that your website will start to feature in results for these searched phrases. And when that happens it’s time to celebrate with a jam donut. Don’t burn your mouth.

Coding Text as Anchor Text

Coding anchor text is usually just a case of highlighting text, pressing the link button, then entering your website. However sometimes this user interface isn’t available, in which case you need to get your hands dirty with the following code: <a href=”http://EnterWebsiteAddressHere.com”>Enter Anchor Text Here</a>

Or as an example that returns Small Business Plan:

Anchor Text Coding Example

And that’s anchor text in a nutshell. Know it and use it to strengthen your website rankings.

Growing your small business,
David Moloney
Small Business Planned

Elance vs vWorker Review

18 Replies

Elance and vWorker (formally RentaCoder) are the two of the most popular outsourcing sites on the internet. I have used both sites for over a dozen projects, ranging from logo design, copywriting, website coding and graphic design. I’ve been satisfied every time. But which one is the best for you?

To understand which site is the best choice for you, you need to understand the inherent differences, so you can make a more informed decision on which one to choose. Let’s conduct a vWorker and elance review.

Elance and vWorker Review- Which is the Best for You?

Who is Elance and vWorker?

Both sites aim to connect people that want work done (employers) to people who have the skills to complete the work (workers). This work can range from a small logo design project for $50, to an integrated IT solution costing thousands. Elance and vWorker act as an intermediatory to connect these two parties to a job. Once an employer posts a job, workers interested in the job place bids to win the work. No bidder can see another bid.

Elance is based in the US and began in 1999. As writing, Elance has been used on over $300 million dollars worth of projects and boasts a workforce of nearly 170,000 professionals.

vWorker (standing for Virtual Worker) was founded in 2002. So far almost 150,000 employers have used the site for help, accessing a workforce of over 300,000.

What Do They Cost?

The business model of both sites aims at generating revenue from workers who successfully bid for each project. Workers will pay a percentage of their earnings directly to Elance and vWorker. That means that it’s free for an employer to post jobs.

Well it’s almost free. An Elance review reveals that new employers are charged $US10 to post an initial job. All subsequent projects are free to post. With vWorker, all your projects are always free to post.

Who Wins the Popularity Contest?

Elance is the more famous of the sites. Infact Elance is probably the most popular outsourcing site on the internet. According to Internet Alexa Rankings, Elance ranks as the 438^th most visited site on the internet. vWorker is ranked #1,844 most visited.

Quality of Workers

I have chatted to many people about which site has the best workers. All parties have strongly pledged allegiance to workers found on both Elance and vWorker. The reality is that Elance and vWorker both have quality highly technical workers across all fields. Like any industry you will find some great workers and some mediocre workers. By doing your homework and assessing the workers who have bid on your project, you stand a very high chance of securing someone great. It’s also handy to understand that many freelance workers are on the lookout for projects from both sites.

Usability & Intuitiveness of Sites

The Elance interface is a lot more polished and user friendly than vWorker. All menus were logical, and finding the next step was always easy. Last year I even recall proposing a time clock solution to Elance and found it implemented in months. That was great. Infact the only difficulty with Elance was trying to find how to change my credit card details, which took a few minutes to figure out. I give Elance an 8/10

I found vWorker to be less intuitive than Elance. There was generally a lot of content on each page in small type, making it a bit difficult to prioritise information. Granted, all the information presented was for my benefit, but I did find it a bit overwhelming. It was also a bit difficult to determine how to perform some tasks. I remember spending 5 minutes trying to figure out how to pay a worker. I consulted help to no avail. A big ‘pay now’ button would have been great. I give vWorker a 6/10

Ease of Arbitration

If something goes wrong in the working relationship between an employer and a worker, you will need to seek arbitration to settle the differences. Firstly, I’ve never had to use the arbitration systems of either Elance or vWorker. However I understand that vWorker does offer more protection for employers. Elance charges between $US66-133 for arbitration, with vWorker it’s free.

Final Word: Who’s Better Elance or vWorker?

It’s really up to personal preference. If you do you post a clear brief and research all the bids that respond, you’ll be in the best position to get a good result. For usability and interface I would choose Elance, but for job protection I would choose vWorker. See for yourself. Click the links below for an Elance review or a vWorker review:

> Visit Elance

> Visit vWorker

Have you used either site? I’d love to hear how you went.

Growing your small business,

David Moloney
Small Business Planned

What is a Gravatar Avatar?

10 Replies

If you run a blog, or visit other blogs you’re bound to come across comments that users post after articles. This social interaction is to be encouraged, as it strengthens relationships with readers and rewards popular sites with more Google juice. You’ve probably noticed little pictures beside these comments. These pictures are called avatars. They give readers a quick visual preview into who you are, which is great for your brand personality. Read on to see how you can take this to the next level and reap the benefits of a Gravatar avatar.

A Gravatar Makes Your Comments and Persona More Attractive

If you do not use an avatar for your comments, you’re just another schmuck that’s shot off a comment under an article. It pays to step out from the crowd and put your best foot forward. Think of comments like a dating site. You’re more likely to get attention if you make the effort to show a picture.

Normally, for your avatar to appear, you’d have to separately register it with each individual site. This takes a lot of time and effort, making me what to push the ‘who could be bothered’ button. Fortunately there is a solution.

A Gravatar is the New Avatar

Move over James Cameron, the Gravatar is king. The Gravatar makes your traditional avatar portable across the Internet. And it’s all good news. Your Gravatar avatar:

takes minutes to setup
is set and forget. Once it’s setup, you don’t have to do anything else
is free
is instantly recognisable across millions of sites worldwide

How to Create a Gravatar

Sign up for an account with Gravatar. Then simply upload your Gravatar avatar image and attach it to the email address(es) of your choice. The next time you comment on a Gravatar enabled site (there are millions of them) and enter your linked email address, your Gravatar will instantly appear. Presto.

Sean Rasmussen’s recorded a great video on how to sign up for a Gravatar. Check it out below:

The universal Gravatar works by connecting your Gravatar with your email account. Once you record your email address with a comment, the Gravatar system will automatically fetch your uploaded image and display it instantly.

And Don’t Worry About Gravatar Spam

The Gravatar system protects the email addresses you enter on wesbites. This prevents those nasty spammers from harvesting your email address and offering you pharmacy discounts.

Stay tuned for tips on choosing a great Gravatar avatar.

Growing your small business,

David Moloney
Small Business Planned

10 Questions to Answer Before You Buy Images

15 Replies

Now that it’s easy to find free images for commercial use, your communications can be improved tenfold. Well almost. Sure, there are millions of images to choose from – but with choice comes responsibility. It’s important to choose the right image for your piece. This is especially true if you’re looking to buy images, but equally valid if you’re assessing the appropriateness of a free image. Before you click, the download button, know the answers to these ten questions:

Before you buy images, make sure you ask yourself these 10 questions

1. Does Your Image Reflect Your Business and the Article?

Every image you use must reflect your brand personality. If your business upholds a premium image, your supporting imagery must look impressive. If your business aims to cut costs, you should buy images that are basic – showing that you’re taking a minimalist attitude to keep prices down.

And obviously, the image that you use must have some connection with the communication piece it’s supporting. After all, the image will help attract eyes, giving the promise of specific content. If that content isn’t delivered, your communication will fail reducing trust in your business.

2. Does Your Image Relate to Your Audience?

Using an image that will resonate with your audience is crucial. Your target market must not only be drawn to the image, but must also identify with the image and its setting.

For example, if you’re trying to recreate an image of cosy loving home, ensure that all the elements in the picture recreate this feeling accurately.

Can your audience identify with the snow in the background?
Should there be children?
What clothes are the family wearing?
Who is the hero of the photo?

A good image will either reflect life or portray a perceived better life.

Generally, images with people are more engaging, as they are more relatable. People also prefer looking at good looking people – however people that are too good looking or model-like do not lend as much credibility, as the scene becomes too staged.

The age of the people in your images must also reflect the aspirations of your target market. Younger teens want to be older teens, parents like seeing happy parents. Older retired couples like to view images of retired people that look younger and are active and happy.

3. What Size Do You Need Your Image?

Put simply, how physically big does the image need to be? To answer this you need to understand your sizing requirements. Image sizes are often quoted in pixels or millimeters. Ensure you’ve taken an accurate measurement before you hit the download button.

When in doubt, always opt to buy images of a larger size. You can always reduce the size of an image without hassle; however you can’t increase the size of an image without compromising on quality.

4. What Image Resolution Do You Need?

Resolution is the term used to gauge how detailed an image is – or in simple terms, how sharp an image will present when viewed close up. Print applications require images with higher levels of detail, whereas online images can require less detail.

For print applications you will need an image that’s 300dpi (dots per square inch), at your required size
For web based applications, seek an image that is at least 96dpi at your required size

5. When Downloading Your Image, What File Formats Should You Choose?

Usually, downloaded images files only come in a select format – jpg. Other times, you are able to choose the image format. Need help on which format to choose? Have a read of the Difference Between a JPG, GIF, TIFF, PNG and EPS

Most commonly, you will use a jpg.

6. Does Your Image Have a Better Angle?

Excellent. You’ve found a good image. But before you celebrate, consider if there something better just around the corner? Sometimes a designer will upload multiple options of the same image. This may showcase the same image from angles.

Before purchasing an image, it’s best to check for alternate angles that may provide you with a better result. To do this either:

Search for your current image in the search bar. Designers will most likely use the same naming convention for similar images. The search results should return your current image, along with other similar images
Directly search the image uploader’s contributions (usually by clicking on their name). You can take this one step further by conducting an advanced search for images uploaded by the creator which fit your sought category.

7. Who Else is Using Your Image?

Being successful in business is all about establishing and delivering your unique selling point. It’s hard to be unique if you’re following everyone else with your imagery.

Before you buy images, check the total number of downloads. The more downloads, the more people are using your image – and the more likely people have seen it before. If you’re looking to use an image in key campaigns or products, consider against using a popular image. If people have already seen the image, its impact is lessened; it is seen as clichéd and dilutes the effectiveness of your message.

8. Does Your Image Look Good as a Sample?

Before purchasing your image, I recommended that you incorporate a test sample of your image into your artwork. This is known as showing your work ‘in situ’ (from the Latin ‘in the place’). To do this, save a sample of your intended image (with watermarks). This image sample will be in low resolution, but will still give you an indication of how well the image will fit your artwork.

Use a graphic design program (such as the free photoshop alternative Paint.Net) to organise your image in your expected final layout. Once complete, pay particular attention to whether post purchase modifications will work. This may include:

Does your image physically fit the artwork?
Do you intend to remove the background from your image?
Does the image work in harmony with supporting images and text?
Does the colour scheme work?
Is the lighting consistent across the entire artwork?

9. Is There a Chance You May Use Your Image in the Future?

Is it possible you will look to use your image again in the future? If so, it’s best to buy images at the largest possible size. This will future proof your purchase and make it adaptable to your future needs.

If you don’t follow this advice and find yourself needing a larger version of the same image – you will need to purchase your image again at an additional cost.

10. What are the Image’s License Rights?

Ensure you fully understand the licensing rights when you buy images. Are you able to use the image again and again on any application, or are you restricted to a once-off usage over a set time? Does the photographer request that you provide an acknowledgment beside their image?

Typically, paid images have fewer restrictions, whereas free images may ask you for an acknowledgment. Make sure you know your obligations and give credit where necessary.

Growing your small business,

David Moloney
Small Business Planned

Image Credit: Filomena Scalise

Why Your First Sale is The Most Important

3 Replies

The first purchase a new customer makes with you is the most important transaction you’re going to have with them. So much is riding on its success. If your customer’s first purchasing experience meets or surpasses their expectations, they are likely to make subsequent purchases. And then further purchases, all the while developing an ongoing customer relationship. If their first experience is less than ideal, they won’t be coming back anytime soon.

By nurturing this relationship, your customer will begin to depend on your expertise to the exclusion of all others. You become the trusted advisor. You become the port for all future purchases. If you’re lucky, your customer will even become an advocate and recommend you to their family and friends.

It all starts in being there for that first sale.

Be There When Your Customer First Needs You

A Customer’s Perspective: Their First Purchase

From a customer’s perspective, their first purchase is a difficult moment. They are not sure if they can trust you. They are not sure if your product will suit their needs and they are not sure how their friends will react. In short – they are not sure. Sometimes they’ll even ditch the planned purchase entirely, because there’s too much fear. Other times the purchase is deferred again and again.

And then, finally the customer strikes up the courage in their busy schedules to either give you a call, send you an email or drop by. This is your opportunity to shine. This is your opportunity to show them that your small business can save the World.

After a brief pleasantry, do you put your foot in it by giving a negative response like:

‘Sorry we’re about to close’
‘We’re out of that product’
‘Susan’s not in at the moment, she’ll be back next week’
‘Nah, we don’t do that, sorry.’
Any other of the 15 mistakes that damage your small business

Ouch! Imagine that. The first experience your potential customer has with you is negative. You’ve indicated that you can’t help them.

Your potential customer retreats with their tail between their legs and looks for another solution. Not knowing that you could have actually helped, if you tried a bit harder.

Understand what your customer really needs, rather than responding to what they say they need. You could have an easy solution.

My Poor First Service Experience

We have three fish & chip shops within a 3km radius of home. While walking one day, I entered one of the shops and asked for a menu, the owner may have been under some stress and so shouted: ‘No menu, no menu.’ I then quickly exited stage left.

Result: I was looking for a good fish & chip shop, which could have become my regular haunt. This experience left me feeling embarrassed and vowing never to come back.

The First Sale is Critical for Service Businesses

The first sale is especially important for high loyalty service businesses such as health professionals, hair dressers, mechanics and tradesmen. If these professionals have good skills, comparable rates and good procedures, there’s a better than evens chance that every first purchase can blossom into an enduring customer relationship.

Knowing this, it’s a matter of welcoming the first purchase – even if it means bending over backwards. Even if it means working a bit later, making a few phone calls or sourcing a new product. Think of this as an investment in securing a long term customer relationship. The first sale isn’t one monetary transaction. It’s the chance to earn the right to a long term relationship which could bring in thousands of dollars over the coming years. Perhaps decades.

My Excellent First Service Experience

I recently bought a kitten. Within a few days she became sick, so I searched for a local vet. The first two vets I called could not see my kitten within my lunch break – as that time was designated surgery time. The third vet also had designated surgery time, but made the time to squeeze my kitten in, because she was concerned (and could tell I was a new customer).

Result: I’ve found a vet that I’m happy with. And this vet will receive all my future business, which could total thousands of dollars over the coming years.

Have you had a particularly good or bad experience when first approaching a business? Did that influence your decision whether to continue using them?

Growing your small business,

David Moloney
Small Business Planned

Finding Free Images For Commercial Use

15 Replies

Images breathe life into surrounding text. If bad text formatting turns people away, featuring images has the opposite effect. Using the right picture creates interest and entices readers, helping your communications reach their full potential. The good news is that free images for commercial use are easily available. I’ll show you where in a minute.

Fetch! You Too Can Catch Free Images for Commercial Use

Why You Need an Image

Firstly, I just want to emphasise the importance of using images. Using a good image encourages:

A reader to read the article
A reader to finish an article
A reader to subscribe to your site
A reader to give you a call
A reader to buy your product.

Imagery is a major part of your small business brand. Choosing the right image is crucial in entrenching your business’ brand personality and positioning.

Words explain your message. Images bring your message to life.

Where Do I Find Free Images?

On the internet, images are everywhere… but that doesn’t mean they are all free to use. You can only use an image if you have permission. Choosing to use an image without permission is breaking copyright law and could get you into legal trouble, so be sure of what you’re using.

Fortunately, millions of images are available through online image libraries. Here, images are called ‘stock photos’. Finding an appropriate image is just a case of visiting an online image library and searching it’s virtual image catalogue.

Some of these images will cost money to purchase, others provide images for free.

“Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language.” Walt Disney

List of Free Image Websites

Free is a good price. Here are a list of sites where you can download free images for commercial use:

Note: Before using any free images for commercial use, always ensure you read the terms and conditions of each site.

List of Paid Image Websites

Sometimes a free image just won’t cut it. Fancy something a bit more special, or of better quality? You’re more likely to find it at a pay-per-download image site. These include:

Have a browse of these image sites and commit to incorporating images across all your communications. Your small business will benefit. In upcoming articles I’ll discuss what to look for in an image and also explain the more technical side of image properties.

Growing your small business,

David Moloney
Small Business Planned

6 Horrible Text Formatting Mistakes That Cost You

13 Replies

Have you ever stumbled across some great information, only to be faced with really bad text formatting? What a downer. Don’t let this happen to you. Just like other mistakes you can make in small business, this is a horrible no no that can be avoided. Poor presentation turns reading into a chore. Unless the content is extremely compelling I’m tipping your readers will toss your brochure away or press the back button faster than they read the first sentence.

Bad Text Formatting Rubs Off on Your Business

Bad text formatting is disrespectful to your readers. Having difficult to read text:

is less attractive to buyers
will cut your readership rates
will increase your bounce rates
will reduce the time that people spend on each page

All these factors hurt sales and your Google ranking.

1. Is Your Text Size Too Small?

If readers have to strain to read your content, they are not enjoying a good experience. This harms your small business brand. For printed materials, opting for a text size below 11 point is not recommended (the exception being for disclaimers).

For websites the solution is not to set a default text size for your pages (such as 12point), but to instead let your text size default to your users browser settings. This flexibility will allow your users to increase or decrease the size of your text easily.

Fortunately, setting variable text sizes is a piece of cake in virtually every CSS website platform. To do so, log in to your website backend and ensure the text size you are displaying is expressed as a percentage or an em (which is letter proportional measurement).

Setting percentage or em values of your body and titles will ensure that your text sizes all scale up and down in unison.

2. Does Your Font Suck?

Fonts are grouped into two families: serifs and san serifs. Serif fonts have little hooks on the end of their letter edges, san serif fonts do not (sans meaning ‘without’ in French). See what I mean in these examples:

I’m a san serif font. I’m straight up and down.

I’m a serif font. My letters are edgy.

The debate over whether to use a serif or a sans serif font has been raging for years. It shows no sign of finishing anytime soon. However the general consensus is to use a sans serif font such as Arial or Verdana.

In order to be able to view a font online, a user must have the font installed on their computer. Even though there are millions of fonts available, only a handful are ‘almost definitely’ on every computer. These are termed websafe fonts and include Arial, Times New Roman, Georgia and Verdana.

If you choose to use a more obscure font that your users don’t have installed, their browsers will convert your obscure font to a default option such as Arial or Times New Roman.

Don’t treat your readers’ eyes like they’re on an off road safari. Be smooth and pleasant to read.

3. Is the Distance Between Your Lines Adequate?

Again, don’t make it hard for your readers. Bad text formatting will bunch lines too closely together, making them difficult to read. Ensure you have good line spacing. The more space you give people, the easier your content will be to read. Obviously, you’ll need to balance this against aesthetics and space restrictions. If you get this balance right, your readers will be able to eat up your content with gusto.

Tip: For websites, your line spacing should be an editable option in your website backend.

4. Is Your Line Width Too Wide?

Pick up a newspaper and feast your eyes on the first article you see. Notice how the newspaper text is broken down into smaller columns, rather than being run across the entirety of the page. This is because the longer a sentence is in width, the more difficult it is to read.

The further your eyes dart to the right, the harder it is for them to ‘anchor’ back to the start of the next line. As your eyes drift, your periphery visual guide gets lost, necessitating slower reading. Sometimes you may even find yourself reading the same line over and over again. Welcome to the world of bad text formatting.

Keep the width of your text space shorter rather than longer.

“Cut out all those exclamation marks. An exclamation mark is like laughing at your own joke.” F. Scott Fitzgerald

5. Are You Overdosing on Text?

Slabs of text are bland. Multiple slabs of text are torture. Free your readers from the shackles of bad text formatting. Ensure you break up your text with frequent paragraph breaks, pictures and quote breakouts. These are great eye candy to the avid reader.

Only your most diehard fans will tolerate plain text. If you’re merely writing to your mother, then don’t worry about it. If you’re looking to attract a wider audience or sell a product, ensure you’re easy on the eye and add some variety to your structure.

6. Do Your Text Colours Have Enough Contrast?

I saved this one until last, because it’s my pet peeve.

To read anything, two colours must be present – the colour of the text and the colour of the background the text is featured on.

The higher the contrast between your text and your background – the easier it is to read. Black and white are the two most contrasting colours. This makes them the most legible partnership. Choosing a combination with limited contrast is a mistake. I don’t care if it’s for branding reasons. People won’t be able to read it easily.

Black on white or vice versa? I recommend using black text on a white background because:

it’s what people are use to
it looks more inviting and open
it’s a lot easier to integrate pictures, logos and banners
it’s actually easier to read than white on black. (see research here and here)

Have you got any text tips that you’re passionate about?

Growing your small business,

David Moloney
sbp.strongerbranch.com

Become an A+ Favicon Generator

5 Replies

As discussed in what is a favicon, a favicon is a small 16×16 pixel icon that represents your website. Now that you know the benefits of a favicon, it’s time to get cracking and become an A+ favicon generator.

Need a Favicon Generator? Grab Your Tools and Let’s Start

Understanding the Favicon File Format

To ensure favicons are compatible with all internet browsers, they are best created in a special icon file format (.ico). This is different to other standard image formats such as jpg and gif. Some standard graphic design packages don’t cater to this .ico format, so you won’t be able to use them as a favicon generator.

In the video below I’ll be showing how to create your own unique favicon

So just to recap the steps in the video:

1. Download the free Photoshop alternative: Paint Net

2. Crop an existing image, or create an image in a square format. This does not need to be on a 16×16 pixel canvas.

3. Once you are happy with the results, save as a gif or jpg and upload it to the free favicon generator website Dynamic Drive. This site will convert your picture to a favicon.

How to Install Your Favicon

Once you’ve used the favicon generator, you’re probably bursting with enthusiasm to upload the favicon to your website. The installation procedure needed will vary depending on your website’s content management system. To find out how to install your favicon, Google your content management system along with the term ‘install favicon’.

For compatibility, ensure you’ve named your favicon file favicon.ico

For WordPress users, the process is easy. Either download and install the plugin: Favicon Manager. This will give you the functionality to install your favicon directly from the administration panel of your website.

Alternatively, you can log into your FTP panel and directly replace the favicon.ico file. More instructions can be found in installing a favicon in WordPress

By following these steps, you’ll be able to add that extra layer of professionalism and trust to your website, helping you separate from your competitors. Let me know how you go.

Growing your small business,

David Moloney
sbp.strongerbranch.com

What is a Favicon

9 Replies

Have you heard the term favicon before? Or does it make you shrug your shoulders and ask ‘what is a favicon?‘ Well you’ve come to the right place. A favicon is a small little icon (16 x 16 pixels) which represents your website. The term favicon is an abbreviation of ‘favourites icon’.

A Favicon is an Icon That Represents Your Website

Why a Favicon is Important For Your Website

Although a favicon isn’t an essential part of your website, it adds a nice cohesive touch that shows you have an eye for detail. In today’s environment of tabbed internet browsing, your favicon helps you ‘own’ your tab. This makes it easier for your users to identify your site, which is another notch in your small business branding arsenal.

Choosing not to have a favicon, simply means that you have a generic page icon representing your website. Just like millions of other websites. How boring. Having a favicon adds a further layer of professionalism, contributing to your sites overall trust factor.

Essential Criteria for a Great Favicon

As your favicon is small, you need to be really smart about how you use the space. The two essential criteria for a great favicon are:

1. Must be legible/understandable: Can the user decipher what your favicon is? The simpler the shape and the fewer the colours – the easier the more recognisable a favicon will be.

2. Must have an obvious link to your small business: Is it obvious that the picture shown in your favicon relates to your small business? Don’t try and be cryptic. You need to be as straightforward as possible.

Determining Your Favicon

In practice, a favicon is usually a derivative of one or more of the following items:

Your logo
Your small business name
Your small business category
Your primary product or service
Your mascot
Your brand colours

It’s a good idea to brainstorm the points above and come up with a possible favicon shortlist.

Learn From Other Famous Favicons

Stuck for inspiration? It’s a good idea to take a peek at how other successful businesses handle their favicons.

“A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people” – Will Rogers

Just as all brands are different, their representative favicons are different. Below is a video that both explains favicons, and showcases favicons from 15 of globally successful business. These favicons are featured both for their unique nature and because of the way they needed to adapted to the small space.

In my next article you can learn how to create your own favicon for free.

Do you have a favicon for your website? I’d love to hear how you decided on the design.

Growing your small business,

David Moloney
sbp.strongerbranch.com

Using Layers in Your Artwork Makes Sense

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To embrace the power of Photoshop or a Photoshop alternative (Paint Net) you need to understand and be using layers. Fortunately, layers are a simple concept to grasp. Layers allow you to independently edit and move separate elements items in your artwork.

Using layers is Recommended in Baking Cakes and Producing Artwork

In artwork terms, a layer is best described as a sheet which can house any number of image elements. All elements that rest on this sheet can be edited together, independent of elements that rest on any other sheet. By using layers, it really is simpler to create and edit your artwork.

It’s best practice to have each artwork element on a separate layer. This makes your image editing simple and targeted, and will not effect any of your surrounding image elements. Below is a video which explains the concept of layers and how to use them.

How to: Using Layers

After watching this video you will:

Understand the benefits of layers
Understand how to create layers
Understand how to delete layers
Understand how to arrange layers
Understand how to merge layers

Growing Your Small Business,

David Moloney
sbp.strongerbranch.com