I was recently approached about embedding videos in one of my websites, initially I just thought it was no different to YouTube. But the company I was approached by work slightly differently. And it brings up the opportunity for me to publish quality content for users and increase my ad space at the same time!

Before the embedded videos begin they have a small advert, much like they have on some MSN videos. By publishing the videos on my website I get a share of the revenue. For every 1,000 views I will receive £3, which I think is a decent return given the nature of the revenue stream.

So the end result will be more (and very good quality) content for users, and also more profit for me. A total Win Win situation.

I’m trying to think of other ways to mix user function with generating revenue. Providing great articles with affiliate links is always a winner, but I’m trying to think slightly out of the box compared to that. There must be more ways then just video.

If you have high-traffic website(s) and already embrace video it may be worth you looking at companies who publish video with ads, I think is a sure fire winner as everyone benefits and you don’t have to make any web design changes!

Image: mycreativecorner

When designing a new website or redesigning an old one an important part is advertising space, how much do you need to include, where abouts is it going to be located and will it blend or stand out?

I have been faced with this dilemma a few times recently, the cold hard fact is that I need to profit from my websites, no matter how old or new. For the first 12 months I would love to not need a single bit of advertising space so the content could be perfectly placed and the whole navigation system, logo, rss buttons etc could all be exactly where I want them (above the fold, big and clear!) to aid the building of a solid user base. Unfortunately I’m not in a position to do this so I need to be generating revenue as soon as their is even a trickle of traffic!

If we didn’t have to worry about revenue generation then designs could be much more impressive, maybe not in colour and imagery, but certainly in overall layout which would be great for users.

I’m currently setting up a website related to vitamins and minerals, it is going to be a sort of online magazine. In my design I have decided to go for one large block of ads in the sidebar and knowhere else. I normally like to integrate ads in both sidebars, at the top (quicklinks) and then have affiliate links when possible in content as well as a google search function to make money from searches. This represents a big change for me.

Having only one block of ads on my new website I am sacrificing short-term valuable ad space in the hope of faster growth - I hope it is worth it!

The majority of my websites have different areas, even if it is only the main website and then a blog on a subdomain. I have recently been considering the designs I use on different areas of different websites I have, and whether or not I should integrate the designs so they look the same or have different ones.

On this website there are 4 sections: the main website, free image hosting, hdr info, and of course this blog! At the moment the main website and image hosting service have the same basic design (with a few tweaks), and the HDR area and this blog have dramatically different designs. So should I make all areas look the same, or make them look different?

Here is a breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages of having a consistent design:

Advantages

• Users will feel more comfortable navigating between areas
• Users will build up more loyalty because it is obvious the different services are ran by the same website
• Consistency throughout the site looks more professional
• When users land on different areas from different channels they will recognise the overall ‘website identity’
• Refreshing the design is easier because you only have to worry about one design and only have to edit one file

Disadvantages

• Makes the website feel ‘smaller’, different designs make it clear the areas provide different services giving the whole company a larger feel
• You only get to play with one design, instead of trying cool new things on lots of designs
• The limitations of the design are felt across the whole site, rather than just one or two areas
• The design may not be ideal for all services

That’s all I can come up with right now – 5 advantages and 4 disadvantages. I guess that means it is more beneficial to have a consistent design.

I’m still considering this situation and am going to take action in the coming weeks upon what I decide.

WordPress is brilliant, if you aren’t already using it you should seriously consider it for your next website. Even if you aren’t setting up a blog it works great as a CMS. Not only is it SEO friendly (with the help of plugins) and super easy to use and maintain, but it is also great for the design side!

Many designers create wordpress templates and give them away free, in return you just have to leave a link to their website at the bottom. Great you say, this happens for static websites as well! Very true, but in my experience the wordpress templates are of a much higher quality and there are thousands available.

Installing them is the easiest thing ever! All you do is upload the template to a folder called ‘wp-content’ in your hosting, then login to your members area and activate it – bing – your website instantly has a swish new design! If you want a bespoke design there are plenty of companies/individuals who specialise in wordpress templates. Or if you know CSS and HTML you can create your own masterpiece yourself!

So if you aren’t already using wordpress then download it now and install it on your next website. This blog uses a wordpress template given away for free, not bad hey!