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The Necessity of a Style Guide A style guide is a document that prescribes the ‘style’ or standard format for you as you create a website. It lays down common guidelines for formatting texts and images, use of color and fonts, logo variations that can be used, etc. The general idea here is to: Create consistency across your website Outline guidelines that can serve future partners taking over from you In big (and some small) design companies, a website cannot be created without a style guide to back it up. It’s a communication document that levels out the expectations of all those involved in the project. It’s also a way of making sure there are no surprises in the end. Even if you’re not working in a team, a style guide can make your life easier. It is a crucial step towards creating a successful professional website. It’s the touchstone in the process that will keep you focused and help you achieve a more cohesive design. The Wix editor offers endless possibilities - like image slideshows as just one example, making for an exciting and refreshing design process. But watch out! This wealth of design possibilities can just as well throw you off track. A style guide will always help you steer back into the right direction thus saving you a lot of time. By creating a style guide you are effectively establishing rules that will make the design process more efficient and help the final website achieve its purpose. You can find more web design tips here. How to Prepare a Style Guide Before approaching the editor grab a pencil and paper and construct your guidelines. Web guidelines keep everything consistent, from website header design to navigation structure. You can also take a look at current web design trends to find some inspiration before you get started. Points to Consider When Preparing a Style Guide Prepare a color sheet- what are the tones you would like to use in your design, and what is the color scheme of your website? A black and white concept with brightly colored text? Solid black background with neon colored elements? Lay out the colors together, when stuck or lost. It can be very handy to refer to your pre-planned guide. What fonts will you be using? Usually no more than three are needed. Find combinations of fonts that work for you. Decide what font you’ll be using for titles, sub-titles, headings and main text. Will you be using Bold or Italics for titles? Think about the grid and layout of the website. This determines where elements will be placed. Prepare some generic templates that you can use when designing. A good grid is the key to a good website and will ensure consistency. Have a look at your navigation structure and organization of relevant materials. Map out the information you want to display on your website – this is where you name the menu options. Menu options may include headings such as home, about, contact, gallery, portfolio (perhaps with sub categories), links, comments. Will you be using an intro page? Or use more than one language? This is the map of your website, it will ensure that your web design has an appropriate structure and will help you lay out all the materials you need to prepare. Prepare the text you’ll be using. Think of keywords you need to highlight. Gathering all the text at this stage including contact info and picture captions will be a huge time saver when you get to building your website. What images will be displayed? Are they ready to upload or are compression and editing needed? Decide which image goes under what tab and if captions are needed. How are the images going to be displayed? Perhaps with a consistent frame around them? If you have a gallery of some sort, plan out the image categories. Consider your use of graphic elements. This is where you decide whether and where to incorporate them, and how and where your logo will be integrated. You may find it helpful to have the editor open and play around with different options. Make sure to transfer your decisions to the style guide, so you will always be able to refer to it once you start. This is the best practice when deciding how to design a website in the most effective way. The best thing about a style guide is that it’s transferable- it can be applied to all your publications. The effort you put into the style guide will definitely pay off when you’ll see you can apply it to any other form of communication you use: email marketing, blogs, business cards – your company now has a strong unified style. Remember the document you produce is not set in stone, you can always make changes and update it. Learn more about how to make a website with our extensive guide.

One benefit of doing business online is the wealth of customer data you gather. With the right tools and strategies in place, you can use that data to add dynamic content to your website and create elevated, personalized experiences for your visitors. Whether you set out to know how to make a website for the first time or want to revitalize an existing one, think about what role dynamic content should play in it. In this post, we’ll explore what dynamic content is, some benefits associated with it and how to get the best results whether you're creating a personal website or a business one. What is dynamic content? Dynamic content refers to messaging, media and other website features that appear differently based on who views it. Sometimes referred to as adaptive content, dynamic content changes according to the user’s demographic, behavioral data, preferences or history with the brand. According to a Yieldify report, 74% of brands personalize their website, customer service correspondence, and digital marketing with dynamic content. Dynamic content vs. static content Many brands design and develop a website with a combination of static and dynamic content. Static content refers to content that displays the same to all site visitors. Elements such as logos should appear the same way to each viewer to maintain brand consistency. On the other hand, your business might benefit from adding dynamic conte‌nt to web pages with scripts or applications that determine what content to show based upon user data. This example from Wayfair shows the differences between dynamic content and static content. A new visitor sees a standard eCommerce home page with a well-organized header at the top and promotional blocks advertising product categories and sales down below: A logged-in customer sees the same static header components and big slider image “Storage Staples for Every Room” on the left, but Wayfair uses their user data to feature content that is more likely to appeal to them. While a new visitor might see promotions for rugs and bedding, a returning visitor who had previously purchased items for their kitchen or closet might see kitchen gadgets and storage tools. In some cases, sellers can access a new visitor’s user data from other sites such as Instagram to better tailor their content. How to decide between static vs. dynamic content When it comes to the debate of creating a dynamic vs static website, one of the first things to know is that every website will contain a fair amount of static content. If you’re concerned about how much a website costs, you might want to learn how to create a static website since dynamic content can increase costs and require more labor. You should also factor in website performance when deciding whether to incorporate dynamic content into your website. Just as un-optimized images and large files can slow page load time, dynamic content—which requires additional HTTP requests—can slow things down, too. Tip: When building a dynamic website with Wix, concerns about performance are less likely. The platform has a wide range of performance optimization tools—such as automatic image optimization, a Content Delivery Network and defense against DDOS attacks—so that a dynamic website is as fast and user-friendly as a static one. How does dynamic content work? Dynamic web pages can source many different types of data, but Yieldify’s report suggests that brands use four sources of data most frequently. 76% use real-time behavioral data such as when a visitor is about to abandon a shopping cart or has just finished reading a blog post. 63% use user profile data such as those from email subscribers, blog followers, eCommerce customers and more. 62% use cookie-based historical data such as visitors’ device information, session engagement and website browsing history. 62% use data collected from other channels such as social media, email, Google and online ads. Once you determine what user data would be most informative, you can set up your page to load the corresponding dynamic content accordingly. In Wix, any dynamic page that you add automatically connects to a database or collection in your CMS (Content Management System). This way, you can populate all the pages you want, just by entering the info in your collection. The benefits of using dynamic content in digital marketing A Researchscape report shows that dynamic content makes a strong impact on a brand’s relationship with its customers. In fact, 92% of marketers believe that consumers now expect personalized content and offers. If your website and other marketing channels can provide the right dynamic content at the right time, you could receive many long-term benefits. Dynamic content brings many benefits beyond improved customer relations, including: More leads Increased engagement Lift in conversions Larger order sizes Improved customer retention rate Higher returns on website and marketing investment Different types of dynamic content Wayfair exemplifies how companies can add dynamic content to their home page to increase click-through rates and speed up sales, but you can use dynamic content pretty much anywhere you want on a website. Landing pages Brands typically design and write their free landing page to cater to an audience segment—usually those on the verge of converting. For example, let’s search for “best heatmap tools.” Google shows several pay-per-click (PPC) ads at the top, but let’s focus on Hotjar: If we click on the Google ad, we’ll see this landing page: However, if we Googled “Hotjar” and clicked on the organic listing on the search result page, we’d see this: The dynamic landing page has different messaging, design and content to best fit the user’s existing knowledge of the brand and their intent. For those who visit the home page via organic search, the home page features an explainer video that helps educate visitors on heatmaps. Those who come to the page via the Google ad see an image and a button that allows them to “Try it free.” Product pages Information related to product imagery, specifications and FAQs shouldn’t differ, as it’s equally critical for all visitors in their decision-making process. That said, smaller areas on product pages can benefit from dynamic content. For example, when visiting the Sephora homepage on mobile, a geotargeting pop-up greets visitors: By giving visitors a chance to opt-in to location detection, it sets the stage for a payoff shortly thereafter. When a shopper selects their product and before they “Add to Basket,” the site will ask them how they want to receive the item. The user can get their purchases shipped, request same-day delivery or pickup in a store close to their zip code. Shopping cart and checkout Let’s look at Barnes & Noble’s shopping cart page. Both guest shoppers and loyalty members can review their purchase and take it to the checkout. However, the notification banner on the top changes according to membership status: The loyalty member receives a free standard shipping message while the banner encourages the guest shopper to buy more to reach the free shipping threshold. Two content blocks that promote the BN membership only appear to the guest shopper. If they sign up and pay the membership fee, these dynamic fields disappear and they get a more streamlined checkout process. When the guest shopper begins the checkout process, they will have to input their shipping and payment details into the form. For members, Barnes & Noble fills out the fields with previously saved data and preferences: Blog posts and articles While you don’t want to mess around with the content integrity of blog posts and articles, you can display dynamic content on the page. One area you can do this in is the call-to-action block. The Trello blog includes a relevant call-to-action at the bottom of its posts. When a new visitor finishes reading through a blog post, they’ll see this CTA block: This ad assumes that if a visitor hasn’t logged into Trello, they don’t have an account. But if they’re reading about productivity on the blog, they may benefit from a productivity app like Trello. Existing Trello customers see this call-to-action instead: Instead of trying to upgrade the user, Trello tries to increase click-throughs, encourage conversions and retain customers with a guide that improves the software experience. Banner ads Your blog can also benefit from dynamic sidebars and banners that feature internal ads for your own company or those from an affiliate ad partner. The dynamic ad content you choose to feature will depend on how you monetize your site. For instance, internal ads will change according to the user’s journey or the content they’re viewing. Dynamic external content usually appears as remarketing, or ads for products or brands that the visitors engaged with on another site or app. For example, Southeast residents may see ads like this one for the grocery store Publix, when visiting the US Weekly site. Pop-ups Pop-ups have fallen out of fashion since Google penalized websites with “intrusive interstitials and dialogs.” That said, you can use pop-ups to improve your user experience without penalty. Gap, for example, displays dynamic pop-up content for when visitors enter the website. New shoppers encounter this lead-generation pop-up that offers 25% off in exchange for an email subscription. Even if the shopper doesn’t convert on this visit, Gap can connect with them via the newsletter and eventually get them to purchase. Logged-in customers already reap Gap’s money-saving benefits, so the pop-up emerges and sticks to the bottom of the screen. While shoppers can access this “My Offers” pop-up, existing shoppers don’t have to wait to see or engage with it the way that new shoppers do. Website header While you may hesitate to alter your website header, dynamic content can make it even more of a valuable component in your users’ experience. Using the example of Gap again, let’s look at how the header differs in design and components for new shoppers. Two bars that appear above the main navigation bar. The top bar shows links to sister domains—Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta—alongside an offer to receive free shipping with a membership. Below that, a gold-hued strip advertises “Sale on Sale” with an offer code. Existing customers see the same layout, but the header information and links differ slightly. The gold-hued strip is all-white, most likely as Gap wants to focus on the customer’s benefits. The access to “My Gap” as well as the note about their rewards status and points in the top-right corner: Email marketing Email and newsletters work in tandem with a website, connecting with leads and customers from the site and driving them back to it. You can’t discuss dynamic content without looking at its use in email, too. It could be as simple as sending out a mass email with a personalized greeting line, like this example from Eventbrite: While the “Hey [name]!” line is the only dynamic content in this email, it helps the invite feel relevant and personalized. You can also send out newsletters with content recommendations based on: The user’s click tendencies in previous emails The user’s on-site activity and interests The user’s set email preferences To do this, program your newsletter to pull in relevant blog metadata—like a featured image, title and description—based on each users’ activity. They’d then receive a newsletter with posts custom-tailored to their interests, increasing the chance they’ll engage with it. Tips for using dynamic content in your marketing strategy Keep this advice in mind when using dynamic data on your website and in your marketing campaigns: 1. Get to know your audience first When building your site, you should start by researching your target users to understand how they think and behave. This insight will also help you create effective dynamic content. 2. Use tools to add dynamic content to your site Look for marketing tools that simplify the dyynamic content process with pre-made widgets and app integrations. For example, there are many Wix Apps that can connect and use data from your content manager. You could use Poptin to generate data-triggered pop-ups. Klaviyo uses your website’s cookies to generate dynamic emails. There are also apps like Tidio that help you configure smart chatbot conversations. 3. Use dynamic content strategically Today’s consumers want and expect personalized experiences and content, and many will happily share data if it improves their experience. While you should already have disclosed how you will use and process your data at sign-up to comply with GDPR, it may be helpful to use dynamic content only when it assists the user experience to maintain trust.

As we enter into the dawn of web3, most of you are wondering what the so-called new era of the internet will look like. Is it just buzz-word worthy jargon, or a world-altering idea? Especially for independent creatives and small businesses, how will web3 change your online presence and the way you interact with audiences—from learning how to make a website to branding and marketing your talents. While there’s still so much we don’t know about web3, experts, proponents and critics alike are already having conversations about the hopes, technologies, potential benefits and possible pitfalls surrounding it. And many brands and industries have begun implementing some fundamental components of web3. In this article I’ll break down what you need to know so far about the evolution of our internet, including what web3 is, its defining qualities and how it could impact our online worlds. What is web3? While it hasn't fully arrived yet, the web3 we’re discussing refers to the currently-in-the-making internet infrastructure. According to web3 proponents, the future internet hopes to provide a more tailored, intelligent and autonomous browsing experience than what we know today. Ethereum co-founder Gavin Wood coined the term web3 in 2014. It’s based on a concept popularized by Tim Berners-Lee, called “web 3.0” or “The Semantic Web.” In a 2021 Wired interview, Wood sums up his web3 vision: “Less trust, more truth.” Web3 promises to use blockchain technology to create a decentralized internet ecosystem, creating a lot of interest within the business sector. The New York Times reports Venture Capital firms invested $27 billion+ into crypto-related projects in 2021—much of that going toward building web3. But even consumer-friendly brands have embraced the web3 hype. Reddit is reportedly preparing for cryptocurrency technology by tokenizing “Karma Points” on its platform. Nike’s recent purchase of digital fashion brand RTFKT puts them among the many fashion brands getting ready to digitally transform. For every optimist, a few cynics balance the hype. Since web3 has yet to be fully implemented, no one can attest to its success or failures. A handful of familiar applications already make web3 a bit more palpable than a hypothetical concept. That, and our globally bruised post-pandemic ethos—ready to welcome what comes next. The internet’s evolution: What did the web look like until now? Have we reached a new era in the history of the web? First, let’s look at the defining characteristics of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. Putting our day-to-day internet usage in its historical context can help us better understand how it evolved. Web1 (1991-2004): Web 1.0 is the internet we knew in the 90s. For those who didn’t live it (or need a refresher), think about a version of the web with sites like AOL, Netscape and message boards. Web design in this era was at its infancy, and users enjoyed a mostly read-only internet. Made up of static web pages, users only sparingly interacted with web1’s interface. On top of that, most websites were owned by big companies and there was very little user generated content—which is perhaps one of the biggest contrasts between web1 vs. web2. Web2 (2004-current day): Web 2.0 is the internet you browse today. Also known as the “social web,” web2 functions as a virtual user-centered ecosystem. At the dawn of web2, technologies like Javascript, HTML5, and CSS3-enabled sites like Facebook (renamed Meta), Google, YouTube—and eventually eCommerce platforms like Amazon—were to be built. This led to a platform-driven web2 that thrives on user-generated content, social networks, interaction and interactive design (with an increasing emphasis on UX design principles). Web2 is the centralized internet era, where Big Tech (companies like Google and Meta, for example) own and distribute data. Not only do we get information from browsing, companies get information from us, which we often exchange in return for services. They use this data for targeted advertising. Increased mobile usage plays a part in the internet’s exponential growth during web2. App creation revolutionized the way users interact, consume and produce content, goods and services—wrapping everything we need into an accessible, user-friendly interface. Defining components and features of web3 It’s too early to rigorously define web3—so we can't go into detail yet on how to make a website, monetize a website or prepare your business for this new era. But we can still look at the emerging principles and driving technologies to better understand the future vision for web3 and how it will differ from the web we know today. Web3 is built around the concept of Semantic Web—in which Berners-Lee envisioned a “web of data” and a collaborative medium, a place where we [could] all meet and read and write." The following developing technologies are driving web3: Blockchain technology: Blockchain is web3’s digital database and will be the driving force behind decentralizing the current web. The technology enables users to create, store and securely manage data without an intermediary. Decentralization: Data, applications and services will be stored in multiple locations on the blockchain and distributed without a central authority, giving more control to the users and fewer opportunities for Big Tech companies like Meta and Google to use information for targeted marketing. Artificial Intelligence: Advanced machine learning will facilitate smarter interactions across apps and user interfaces. Cryptocurrency: A secure, decentralized currency based on blockchain ledgers (for example, Ether or Bitcoin.) Cryptocurrency will largely replace the currencies, banks and payment processors we currently use in web2. Crypto wallets and digital wallets are one method for using these currencies in web 3 transactions. DeFi: DeFi (decentralized finance) will remove third parties from online transactions using a similar blockchain technology to cryptocurrency. DAOs: DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations), or user-owned communities free of centralized leadership, will run online services. Examples are cryptoco-ops, investor groups which use crypto-currency like Etheruem to purchase NFTs collections, support startups and more. dApps: Web applications in web3, also known as dApps (Decentralized Applications) will run on P2P blockchain networks. In comparison to web apps today, when one entity (generally, the company) controls the backend, with dApps participants can simultaneously feed and consume content without third-party interference. User autonomy: A decentralized web3 supports overall user autonomy, facilitating a permissionless, democratized web void of censorship, where anyone can join and own a piece of the web. User anonymity: AI technologies in web3 will allow users to separate their digital personas from their real-life identities. With blockchain technology’s increased data security, web3 aims to make it harder for companies to access individuals' personal information and browsing history. Web3 as we know it today Many already-used technologies fit into the web3 category. You’ve probably heard of—and may have even used—some of the above technologies. While none of these innovations represent the fully fleshed-out web3 ecosystem, they’re slowly building the future landscape: Brands in the Metaverse The interactive, immersive and universal social media platform promises to unlock a new virtual world for the creative economy. Although the metaverse is a vague term, many companies are experimenting with VR and AI technology to future-proof their brand. Prime examples include Balenciaga, Prada and Thom Browne launching digital fashion collections for avatars and Institut curating NFT exhibitions in the metaverse. The NFT hype An NFT is a unique digital data unit stored on a blockchain. These already revolutionized the gaming, collectibles and art industry by allowing authenticated ownership of digital files. Today, many artists make and sell NFTs on crypto-driven digital marketplaces, or showcase them using digital art portfolios. Investment in cryptocurrencies It's hard to ignore the global popularity of cryptocurrencies. Since 2009’s introduction of Bitcoin, many individuals and companies have been inspired behind the new economic system’s ideology and invested in more than 4,000 types of cryptocurrencies. Limits and early criticism of web3 However, web3 is not all hype. Some early critics are skeptical of a more democratized web’s feasibility, even with advanced decentralizing technology. Others claim that blockchain technology is simply in too fledgling a stage to use and judge its effect. Tim O’Reilly, author of What is Web 2, notes that while the tech community has cycled through the compelling ideals behind web3 before, the system is too underdeveloped to bridge the gaps between decentralized technologies and non-web3 assets and systems. In his article “Why it’s too early to get excited about Web3,” O’Reilly states: “If web3 is to become a general purpose financial system, or a general system for decentralized trust, it needs to develop robust interfaces with the real world, its legal systems, and the operating economy.” Molly White is another web3 skeptic keeping the tech world on their toes. The software engineer runs the blog Web3 Is Going Just Great, an open resource exposing the dark underbellies of web3. White updates her site in real time with news about fraud and corruption in the NFT/cryptocurrency markets, as well as criticisms of early web3 players’ impact on the economy, culture, and the environment. Many critics, too, question web3’s sustainability. While blockchain technologies’ accessible nature inspires organizations and brands to promote and raise money for environmental causes—the cost of these transactions come at a harm to the environment. Some organizations already work to shed light on these pitfalls and improve web3’s impact on the environment.

Getting lost in the never-ending maze of online design inspiration is not uncommon. Here’s a handpicked selection of some of our favorite Dribbble shots. Searching for website design inspiration can be a never-ending scrolling experience when learning how to make a website. After the initial delight and excitement about the wonders you may have found, your eyes can very quickly become glazed over and you find yourself sinking into a midday snooze. The overload of information can be overwhelming. That’s why we’ve decided to start a new series, picking out 12 beautiful Dribbble shots and focusing on a different area of design each time. First up – lettering and typography. Whether you’re an illustrator, UX or web designer, we’ve uncovered some real gems by talented international designers that will provide you with top-notch typography inspiration when it comes to choosing the best design and fonts for your website. And at the very least, some gorgeous eye candy. Pierre Kleinhouse This multi-talented illustrator, designer and painter creates works whose concepts are just a touch more complex than you may realize at first glance. This beautiful and seemingly playful piece in fact addresses serious world issues. Hint: other than taking a closer look at the content itself, take note of the word choice. Adrien Ghenassia There’s a real sense of rhythm in this illustrator and animator’s work. The graphics and motion work together wonderfully to create pieces that balance both a complete and sketchy feel. The use of grain, a prominent motion graphics trend, adds a sense of volume. Mat Voyce Multidisciplinary designer, Mat Voyce, creates designs that are both minimal and just the right amount of cute. The very subtle motion is all that is needed to tell a whole story and convey a sense of personality in the characters featured. Mario Sestak With big bold text and a simple and beautiful typeface, this animation is just right. This gif is a celebration of the sans-serif font NB International™, whose design is inspired by Grotesk typefaces. The composition is perfectly balanced, with certain parts aligned, while others break the grid. And as for the color scheme – has the word “perfect” already been mentioned? SDCO Partners Is there anything about this piece that we don’t love? It seems that this multidisciplinary studio has nailed everything from the simple color palette, to the illustrations, the composition and the large serif font. The illustrations are reminiscent of botanical drawings or old cooking books, and the number descriptions create a scientific look and feel to the design. Tifa Zhou Say “hi!” to this talented digital experience and motion graphics designer, Tifa Zhou, who makes picking just one piece of work from her Dribbble account a tough job. Everything about this animation is spot-on, from the retro color palette, to the simple shapes and playful motion that brings it to life. Ben Kocinski Specializing in a range of design fields, from illustration, to lettering and branding, Ben Kocinski’s works are fascinating. They have a nostalgic, almost mystical feel to them. This piece seems to nonchalantly combine an array of detailed tattoo-like illustrations, with a range of fonts as well as hand lettering – all the while, keeping a sense of balance between the many elements and colors. Mathieu L.B Head here if you want to see a diverse range of works, from 3D motion graphics to illustrations and 2D pieces. Despite the different styles, the aesthetics of Matt’s Dribbble account is incredibly accurate. This surreal illustration presents the letter ‘U’ in an obscure and intriguing way. Jack Harvatt This animation is just a snippet of Jack Harvatt’s talents. With elements moving at different speeds, from the ball seeming to slowly roll, to the brick-like object flying across the screen, this piece of work really conjures up a sense of rhythm. It’s official – we love a classic sans serif on the move. Jacek Janiczak With such a minimal and accurate piece of work, it’s clear that this web and graphic designer specializes in logo design. The movement in this iconic animation is both surprising and engaging. It’s hard to keep your eyes away. Sail Ho Studio With gorgeous gradients like these, need we say more? This design collective successfully combines illustration with motion graphics to come up with visuals that evoke emotion, as well as involving a drop of humor. Bettina Stovne If ever there was eye-candy, this graphic designer and illustrator’s Dribbble account is just that. She’s clearly taken the time to curate her page with the utmost care, using a color palette of pastel shades. Looking at each work individually, it may take a while to uncover which number or letter it presents, but that’s definitely part of the fun.

Up there with today's most controversial topics, from climate change to data privacy, is the grave issue of Comic Sans. Yes, my friends, I am indeed referring to that seemingly innocent typeface that has, for over twenty years, been at the core of much dispute, particularly among designers and typographers. Making an appearance in website design, birthday cards, warning signs, formal letters, and more, Comic Sans has gone through quite a journey since its initial release in the mid ‘90s. But the question remains: why do people hate Comic Sans so very, very much? In this article, we’ll take a look at the origins of this notorious typeface, examining its history and the way people’s perceptions of it have changed over time - why it's not often chosen as a best font for websites or in website redesign, as well as the link between Comic Sans and dyslexia: The history of Comic Sans The story begins in Microsoft’s offices back in 1994. The company was about to release Microsoft Bob, a user-friendly interface for their operating systems in which a friendly yellow dog (a.k.a. Rover) guides the user with helpful tips that pop up in a speech bubble. When font designer Vinnie Connare saw they were using Times New Roman in the speech bubbles, he disapproved, famously saying “Dogs don’t talk like that.” He felt that the interface’s typography needed to better match the context. Vinnie wanted to create an inviting, unthreatening typeface that would evoke fun and play. Taking inspiration from comic books, he spent three days creating a draft of what would later become Comic Sans. Due to technical reasons, Comic Sans didn’t end up being used for Microsoft Bob. However, it was later made available in the Windows 95 operating system, enabling people worldwide to use Comic Sans to their hearts’ content. The typeface became increasingly popular in both general and web design, popping up everywhere from signs to emails and even business cards. What was initially designed as a playful, lighthearted font was being implemented in contexts that were far off from its original purpose. Its cheerful appearance made it a somewhat inappropriate choice in certain contexts, like the sides of ambulances or warning signs, especially when used in conjunction with excessive exclamation points and underlining. Why do people hate Comic Sans? Somewhere in between one too many wedding invitations printed in Comic Sans and its use on a defibrillator (true story), the extensive misuse of this typeface had taken its toll on designers worldwide. It seems that Vinnie Connare himself wouldn’t approve of these uses, mentioning in an interview for The Guardian that “type should do exactly what it’s intended to do.” Gradually, Comic Sans became the object of much ridicule. Another more recent event in the world of Comic Sans occurred when John Dowd, former Trump attorney, wrote a legal letter representing two of Rudy Giuliani’s associates in - you guessed it - Comic Sans. This scandalous act brought on outrage throughout the world, and not just amongst designers. The notorious typeface trended on Twitter, bringing it to the forefront of public attention once again. Whether John Dowd wanted to “subtly” mock the issue at hand by using a clearly inappropriate typeface, or he is simply a fan of Comic Sans, his motive remains unclear. What can be said, though, is that typography definitely holds a certain power over us, and is apparently not something to be taken lightly. Graphic designer couple David and Holly Combs know all about that. They fell in love over their shared hatred for the typeface. After being asked to create an entire gallery guide in Comic Sans, the duo decided it was time to ban the font altogether, claiming it was a “blight on the landscape of typography.” The ‘Ban Comic Sans’ movement certainly indicates the gravity with which typography is perceived. The couple are strong believers in the power of typography, striving to call out inappropriate uses of typefaces. And indeed, web-safe fonts are important and choosing the right font for your website, CV or email is critical. Typography plays a huge part in the sensations evoked in a certain design. Whereas the impact of color psychology in design is fairly well known, typography still has some catching up to do. Comic Sans strikes again Like many things that were a big hit 25+ years ago (bell-bottoms, platform shoes and tattoo choker necklaces, for example), Comic Sans could well be on the brink of revival. In fact, since the Combs first launched their wildly successful campaign, things have changed. So much so that in 2019, the couple re-named the movement ‘Use Comic Sans.’ What started out as an inside joke meant for designers had simply gone too far. In May 2019, the couple posted on the movement’s Facebook page, saying “We were wrong. Ban the Ban and Use Comic Sans!” Perhaps it really is time for Comic Sans to join our other much-loved items from the ‘90s and make a return. After all, it seems that the ‘90s have made a comeback in areas other than fashion. These kinds of retro aesthetics are cropping up in various design fields, from graphic design magazines to some of the best websites out there. Comic Sans and dyslexia While Comic Sans has been poked fun of from every possible angle, there’s one thing that cannot be denied. As opposed to many other fonts chosen to cover our newspapers, websites and various interfaces, Comic Sans is a recommended font for dyslexic readers, as listed in several dyslexia organizations. Comic Sans meets almost all the requirements of dyslexic readers, such as good letter spacing and differentiation between similar letters and numbers (for example capital I, lowercase l and the digit 1). In fact, disability advocate and design strategist Liz Jackson, speaks of Comic Sans in relation to inclusive design. In April 2019, she launched the ‘Comic Sans Take Over,’ urging brands that want to “engage in disability as a creative practice” to adapt their logo design by swapping their logo font to Comic Sans. Shifting public opinion on a font so loaded with history and ridicule is not an easy task, but when paired with such a strong backbone, Liz Jackson shows us it’s possible. What’s ironic in this whole Comic Sans story is that Vinnie Connare never really took it too seriously. While the world was at war, Connare says that it never bothered him, holding true to his belief that “People who don't like Comic Sans don't know anything about design. They don't understand that in design you have a brief.” And clearly, Comic Sans matched the brief. Learn more about how to make a website with our extensive guide.

Websites, like fashion, make personal statements. Choosing dark shades for a website design is a powerful statement about the purpose and the mood of the site. Contrary to popular associations, dark doesn’t mean gloomy or scary. Dark colors can create a mysterious atmosphere, a classy look or a minimalist cut that draws attention to the product or service. These beautiful HTML5 websites demonstrate that well. Have a look and see how these dark shades positively accentuate the topic and web design of the website. With nothing against bright website color schemes– dark can be beautiful on its own right. Learn more about how to make a website with our extensive guide.

August is just around the corner, and for many people all over the world this means that the office walls and the daily shifts are becoming less appealing than ever. It’s time for a vacation, guys! Who doesn’t want to just hop on a plane and head out to a dreamy resort somewhere? We gathered together a pretty bunch of website designs from the traveling and hospitality industry to prepare you for the vacation of your dreams. These are some of the best websites representing travel destinations, all created by Wix users across the globe. Have a look and you might find the next destination on your road map. Find something that inspires you? Then get planning with how to create your website, and choosing your website type. Don’t forget to pack sunscreen! Tequila Sunrise Villa >> Delphic Motion >> Camping Les Oliviers >> Dream Like Destinies >> Oliva Nera Sicilia >> Hotel San Fernando Plaza >> Malama Tours Hawaii >> Pousada Vila Do Sossego >> Natur Hostel Etxebarri >> Red Rock Hotel Group >> Schloss and Park Imbshausen >> Southern Rockies Camp >> Charlesworth Bay Penthouse >> Xplora Cancun >> TC Rental Home >> Traviling >> Voyages Andes >> Ontdek Valencia >> Ty Mamgoz >> Corsica >> Learn more about how to create a professional website.

Dear Matt, I just finished reading your post, and I see that there is a lot of anger and many half-truths that you said. Wow. I guess that we touched a sore point there. Why are you so angry? Don’t you agree with the shortcomings of WordPress that we raised? We really tried to be fair and only speak about what we know to be a consensus. Considering you started talking negatively about Wix from the beginning, I find it to be a bit hypocritical. I believe in friendly competition. Competitors push each other by competing. When you guys wrote about issues with Wix, like SEO and performance, we didn’t complain, we owned it and worked hard to fix it. Now we have great SEO, and performance is almost where it should be - so thank you WordPress for pushing us to be better. We only wrote about valid issues with WordPress: high maintenance, issues with plugins, memory issues and security (adding the links for anyone who doesn’t know what we are talking about). So, why don’t you do what we did? Admit it, Own it, Fix it. Even you guys at WordPress have things you need to fix and improve. Instead of writing nasty blog posts, fix those problems. And yes, I really care about these things. I mostly care about WordPress' security. WordPress is so popular, I’m sure my credit card details are on many WordPress websites. It’ll be great if you fix security so we can all feel safer. If you don’t think these are real issues, I’d be happy to hear why. And if we agree, I promise to publish a public apology. I’d like to talk about some of the things you published about Wix because I think that people deserve the full picture. You wrote a post that blamed Wix for stealing WordPress code. I’d like to remind you that the code wasn’t developed by WordPress - it was General Public License (GPL). We didn’t steal it, and we gave it back according to GPL (JavaScript is not linked). As a reminder, here’s my reply to you about it from 5 years ago. You also blamed Wix for stealing your brand. Your brand was all about blogs, not websites. Our homepage was never a copy of yours. If anything, it was the other way around. A quick search on the internet shows that WordPress also has pages that compare Wix and WordPress, with a very negative sentiment towards Wix. https://WordPress.com/compare/wix/ https://WordPress.com/go/tips/WordPress-vs-wix-everything-you-need-to-know/ So, as your competitor, I thought it would be fair that Wix talks about WordPress issues, just as WordPress talks about Wix issues. We even tried to make it funny and lighthearted (yes, I’m aware that not everyone found it funny, but we tried). Yet, you seem to be so angry about it. In your recent post, you wrote that Wix makes it “difficult to leave” for customers, but this isn’t true. If someone wants to cancel the subscription, all they need to do is click the button, “Cancel Subscription”. If a customer cancels within 14 days of a purchase, getting a refund is automatic, so I’m not sure what you meant. Then, you wrote that Wix locks users’ content, or steals it. Wix Terms of Use clearly state that: “As between Wix and you, you shall own all intellectual property pertaining to your User Content and to any other materials created by you, including to any designs, images, animations, videos, audio files, fonts, logos, illustrations, compositions, artworks, code, interfaces, text and literary works. Wix does not claim ownership rights on your content.” Here’s the link if you’d like to check it: https://www.wix.com/about/terms-of-use You also claimed that we don’t allow customers to export their content. There are many tools that make it easy for our users to take their content and move to other services - we never block them nor have we prevented anyone from using other services. One way that users can export content from Wix was even developed by WordPress: https://WordPress.com/support/import/import-from-wix/ Do you remember this? So why did you write that we lock our users in the basement? You also wrote that other platforms allow you to take your site and use different hosts. Shopify is an eCom platform, but you can’t take the eCommerce functionality to another host - you always have to run the eCommerce from Shopify servers and pay them a monthly fee. In fact, it’s very hard to export your full Shopify site, with the databases, transactions and plugins data. With Squarespace, you can’t export your designs, templates, applications inside the website, databases for the applications, and as for the eCommerce, you can only export your static content, so to move from Squarespace, you have to start from zero on another platform. Shopify, Squarespace and Wix offer software as a service (SaaS). This architecture means it’s not possible to take the software as it is running from the company server - that’s the downside. But it also has many advantages - easy software upgrades, a better security model, and less maintenance issues. Does this sound familiar? Like every architecture, it has benefits and drawbacks. I’m a strong believer in SaaS and I think the benefits for users are bigger than the drawbacks. Our campaign about WordPress didn’t twist the truth. We published what many in the WordPress community will agree to be the valid shortcomings of WordPress. But I’m pretty sure you already know all of that. What I’m not so sure is, why are you twisting the truth? And let me say it again, I believe in friendly competition. I really do believe that it makes us both better. We tried to make the ads funny, and I think you can also admit that the problems we talk about are real. However, if it offended you, I’m sorry. I am really tempted to say here, if you guys stop writing bad things about us, we won’t publish the bad truth about you, but that sounds kind of childish, don’t you agree? And let’s face it, talking about each other's flaws pushes us both to be better and we both have that obligation to our customers. Finally, during the last few years, I reached out a couple of times to try to meet with you but you declined, so I guess it’s our fate to continue the fun that is chatting over the internet, instead of over a cup of coffee. Yours, Avishai

We’re outrageously happy and equally proud to announce that Wix just went public and is officially trading on NASDAQ! This is a huge milestone in Wix’s history and in our development from a fledgling start-up into a company servicing over 40 million registered users worldwide. Following today’s events we feel more committed than ever to keep pursuing our vision: giving people the freedom to create and manage a dynamic online presence that is exactly the way they imagined it. In 2006, we started our endeavors by simplifying the web creation process. We have now grown Wix into a comprehensive solution that lets anyone run their entire business online. Let us take you through some of the happiest moments we experienced in NY today – This is our day at NASDAQ,  in photos: VP at NASDAQ OMX, David Wicks, delivering an official welcome message to Wix and offering the floor to Wix’s CEO, Avishai Abrahami Final note for the day: We’d like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of our users. We couldn’t have made it to this happy day if it wasn’t for your relentless support. Thanks for believing in us – we’ll continue to work hard to earn your vote of confidence, every day. **Stay tuned for more exciting updates on our Facebook page to see how Wix users played a big part on our NASDAQ festivities! You can also learn more with these 10 Wix essential tutorials. Make a website your way.

Research is the first step in every UX project. Here are our top website picks for coming up with interesting insights, sharp conclusions and fresh ideas. Reading the brief for your new project can be an enticing experience, pumping you up with newly found energy and promising ideas. At other times, the brief seems to drain all inspiration out of you, making even that sink full of dishes seem like a more enjoyable activity. Whichever the case, the first stage in UX design is some serious, in-depth research. There are, of course, the Muses – those major online goddesses of design inspiration that we all know and love. Behance, Dribbble and Muzli are some of the big names that are especially close to our UX hearts. But there are also smaller, more targeted resources, that can make for extra-productive research. We’ve compiled a list of seven websites that provide the best tools, galleries and tips for your upcoming UX design projects. Take a look – your wireframes (see wireframe examples), buttons and prototypes will not regret it. 1. Pttrns: Spot repeating design trends When something recurs over and over again, it’s probably for good reason. And if you know what that reason is, you can start bending the rules in your favor. That’s what makes the self-proclaimed ‘mother of all design resources’, Pttrns, into such a useful tool. Edited by Robin Raszka, this website showcases screenshots of thousands of user interfaces from different apps. Divided into categories, the screenshots present different answers to the same problem, allowing you as a designer to note similarities and differences, and analyze UX design trends. These repeating elements can then be interpreted as common denominators – making them design patterns, hence the name. A quick browse through the ‘Empty States’ category, for example, can bring some interesting points to mind, such as the dominant use of white and light gray in displaying empty pages (carts, lists or other pages without any added items). It’s equally relevant to note how some apps spitefully break the rules, opting for very bright or very dark colors. With this sort of insight at hand, Pttrns offers a simple and intuitive way to research for the common thread and spot patterns in current design trends. Pttrns.com is available in free and Premium options. Premium members enjoy an ad-free version of the website, and an unlimited access to the screenshots. 2. UX Archive: How things are done on mobile UX Archive shares a similar logic of observing existing design patterns. Only this time, the website is focused on user flows in mobile apps. Meaning, the chain of events required for performing a specific task on mobile. UX Archive collects screenshots of actions performed on some of the bigger apps, and displays them in order of performance. By breaking down a specific action performed on an app (such as searching or booking) and displaying a screenshot of each step, you can get a better understanding of the process and see how each stage is communicated. This leads to some interesting, analytical questions. When reading a news article (categorized under ‘Consuming’), for example – what happens when we want to watch a video embedded in the article? And once we’re done watching it, how do we get back to the text? How do we know when we’ve reached the end of the article? The owners of the site, Arthur Bodolec, Chris Polk and Nathan Barraille, stress the importance of downloading the apps yourself, and really playing around with them on top of comparing static user flows. “It will help you visualize all the flows and steps,” they write. 3. Media Queries: Responsive web design in all its forms Named after the CSS3 feature that enables responsive web design, Media Queries is a collection of responsive websites curated by Eivind Uggedal. Responsive web design is, simply put, design that can flex and adapt when viewed on different devices, from the large desktop screen to the much smaller smartphone – and any tablet in between. Media Queries displays each website in a row of four screenshots that gradually grow in size. Seeing the different versions of the same design side-by-side, allows for a thorough probe into the main adaptations required for successful responsive design. What happens to the logo, for example, or how the layout is rearranged, and what design elements don’t make the cut into the mobile version. Mediaqueri.es allows browsing the collection chronologically (by posting date), or by popularity. Users can submit more responsive sites, or vote for their favorite designs via Twitter. Want more? There is also a convenient list of all sites showcased in the collection. 4. UserOnboard: The good, the bad and the ugly in user onboarding You only get one chance to make a great first impression. On UserOnboard, that crucial first encounter is picked apart and critiqued with elaborate slideshows. The website, run by Samuel Hulick, is dedicated to how design and textual copy can improve the user’s success when meeting a new app or website. With elaborate teardowns, UserOnboard walks visitors through screenshots of each screen in the onboarding process of different websites and apps. With accompanying text bubbles and meme-like images that point at important aspects in the design, the teardowns detail why these websites work well, and what can be improved. These critical observations are on-point, and their fun and light tone makes UserOnboard a great way to freshen up on what to keep in mind when designing your next onboarding experience. One such useful advice can be found on the site’s PayPal teardown: “Pro tip: remove all the words from your app and evaluate what remains – does it still provide guidance? Can people still learn from it?” 5. CollectUI: Ideas are everywhere There’s something special about participating in web design challenges. With no client to supervise your every move and no brand guidelines to follow, it’s all about quick, stress-free briefs that pop up in your feed or inbox, awaiting to set your imagination free. The end result, often refreshing and original, is then shared with the design community for feedback and mutual inspiration – only to be quickly forgotten in the abyss of Internet oblivion. This is where CollectUI comes in, handpicking the best Dribbble shots from the Daily UI Design Challenge, and curating them for future reference and an inclusive design research. “The challenges chosen are so good that you they serve as a great source of inspiration,” writes Ahmet Sülek, who runs the website. And we tend to agree. The site, which can be viewed either by chronological order or by category, showcases the best UX design solutions for almost any website feature. It goes from simple ones, such as a search bar or an on/off switch, to more large-scale designs, like sign up pages, or user profiles. Some of the submissions are wild creations that can only exist as an exercise, while others seem so sharp that they could  easily make their way into a new app. Browsing through all of this together is bound to get your wheels turning with new ideas. CollectUI.com also offers a Chrome Extension so that you can easily browse for similar designs and submit your own Dribbble shots. 6. Sketch App Sources: Winning us over with high-quality freebies Sketch App Sources offers free design resources to be used on Sketch App, created by designers around the world who share a love for Sketch and UX design. The website fosters a feeling of a growing design community, with members learning and helping each other by sharing tools, knowledge and tips – and giving credit where credit is due. Among the many design resources available for download are UI kits, wireframe kits, templates, icons and more. These useful tools can come in handy as assets for your own projects, and you can also download them to take a look into the layers and thought process behind other designers’ work. The website, active since 2012, also features tutorials, plugins, articles and much more. 7. Medium: Sophisticated reads for your inspiration Not all design inspiration comes in visual form. As a platform based on the written word, Medium is all about the quality of the content, and not the big names behind it. Readers can promote their favorite texts, so that the best articles come up first. You can also follow and subscribe to writers and publications you appreciate, or search according to tags. Some of our favorite writers for you to check out are Saadia Minhas and Mei from Prototypr, Ariel Verber from Muzli, as well as the excellent UX Collective publication. Medium houses many other great reads in all fields of design (and pretty much any topic you can think of, from tech trends to cultural phenomenon). You can also publish content of your own, as Medium is an open platform, and share some of your UX thoughts, or other musings, with the world. Medium is also available for Android and iOS.

Content writing plays an integral role in a brand’s success. When you create a website, for instance, you choose your words for everything from the home page to the individual blog posts you publish. Your copy can affect how well your website ranks on search engine results pages, as well as how valuable visitors find your site’s content. Without high-quality writing, your marketing efforts may flounder and, with them, your website. In this post, we’ll define content writing, explore the benefits of good content writing and share tips for success as well as unique examples. What is content writing? Content writing refers to creating digital content for a brand’s marketing strategy. This includes content for: Blogs Web pages Sales landing pages Social media posts Newsletters White papers Press releases Content writing is just one content marketing tool in a brand’s arsenal. Pair it with robust research, diligent planning and high-quality visuals to optimize your strategy. Your content marketing strategy will depend on your product, services and audience. For example, a restaurant’s clientele might not want to follow a blog, but they will likely want to see tantalizing food photos and reels on Instagram. A recent Semrush survey of content marketers found certain content types are more effective and successful than others: Video (37%) Blog posts (36%) Success stories (22%) Case studies (16%) Webinars (16%) Every piece of content in your marketing strategy likely has a written component to it. Take marketing videos, for example. Someone needs to write the video script as well as the title, description and show notes to help with SEO and accessibility. The benefits of good content writing 97% of the content marketers in the 2021 Semrush study said that content was a critical part of their overall marketing strategy. There’s a reason for that—well-written content provides brands with many benefits: By creating content for different channels, a brand can attract a much larger audience. You can tailor content to different segments of a brand’s audience, making it easier to connect. Writing great content will help strengthen a brand. This will make it easier to recognize and more relatable. Content offers value to customers and non-customers alike and asks for nothing in return—just their time and attention. Google rewards websites that consistently create quality content with better rankings. Content writing helps existing customers get more from their purchases, which can increase loyalty. Get your ethos, pathos and logos right and you'll be well on your way to building a loyal customer base from your content. 5 examples of great content writing Before we check out how you can optimize your content writing strategy, let’s first look at these content writing examples: Netflix In early 2022, social media users saw posts and ads from a brand called Perpetual Pup. Users noticed the social media and video script writing before the branding. “It’s a good ad,” said Twitter user @GideonNeptune.“It made me look and find out about the show it’s promoting.” The content campaign promoted “Bad Vegan,” a Netflix documentary. People discussed this content marketing strategy on many social media platforms, including on Reddit. McCormick McCormick's YouTube channel is entirely devoted to cooking with the company’s spices. A lengthy description accompanies each video—like this one on how to marinate and grill pork chops—and includes: A simple yet descriptive title A quick summary of what the viewer will learn A list of ingredients needed to reproduce the recipe Information on prep and cooking time A link to the recipe on the McCormick website These YouTube descriptions give the viewer more context and value from the video, while also helping optimize the video for search. Wix An email newsletter gives brands a regular chance to re-engage with website visitors and blog readers. The Wix Blog newsletter, for instance, goes out once a week and provides readers with short and easy-to-read summaries of recent posts. Subscribers can skim the newsletter’s concise, conversational writing and get just enough details for each post that they’re eager to read more. Instacart Instacart’s grocery delivery service provides a great value to its customers. However, the Ideas & Guides section of the brand’s website offers an opportunity to maximize the brand’s service. It covers DIY topics like cooking tips, holiday and event planning and recipes. This content is useful to Instacart’s marketing strategy for several reasons. For one, it adds values for existing customers using the service. Instacart can use customers’ shopping histories to send them relevant guides. It also can bring in new leads as visitors discover timely and trending topics. SCORE Customer testimonials work great for people to sign up for a service. The only problem with testimonials, though, is the short length and faceless nature. Therefore, success stories can be a more effective form of content marketing. You’ll see why on SCORE’s Success Story page. Real people share actual stories about their businesses and how SCORE’s mentors have helped them. The Success Story pages aren’t long—maybe only 400 to 600 words—and yet they pack enough of a punch to touch visitors’ emotions. Tips for content writing success Here are 10 best practices to help you write high-quality content for your marketing campaigns: 01. Reference your content style guide Just as you’d document your visual branding with a style guide, do the same for your content writing. It should include information related to: Business objectives Brand voice and personality User personas Guidelines on key company terms and industry jargon Other preferences or rules relating to your brand’s written style Not only will this help you consistently handle your writing, but you’ll get better quality results from contributors, too. 02. Create a content marketing strategy According to Semrush’s survey, 78% of those who’ve been very successful in their content marketing had a documented strategy. You can create an effective strategy for copywriting by choosing 5 to 10 top-level topics you want your brand to be associated with. Then center all of your content around those major hubs, ensuring that you tackle each subtopic one by one. 03. Keep your eyes and ears open for inspiration There are many places to find content ideas: Subscribe to your competitors’ blogs and newsletters and follow them on social media Follow the top publications in your industry Listen to podcasts and subscribe to YouTube channels that tackle similar subjects You never know when inspiration might strike with content writing. Staying tuned to what others talk about can help you avoid feeling uninspired or stuck. 04. Come up with an interesting angle It’s common to take inspiration from other people’s content, but be careful about rewriting what others have already said on a topic. Tune into a variety of sources such as blogs, vlogs, newsletters, social media platforms, podcasts and even print journalism to help fuel your creativity. 05. Write as concisely as possible You want to unpack the topic fully when you write a white paper or blog post. However, that doesn’t mean you need to hit some magical word count to make it a worthwhile read. Cover the topic fully, without being too wordy. 06. Focus on the user foremost Although content writing is a marketing tactic, it usually takes a less product-forward tone than advertising. Joe Stolte of The Tractionology Group suggests the following to Forbes: “Make the content about the customer. Specifically, make it about what your customer wants and how they can get it. What works really well is to use your marketing to educate your target customer and help them solve real problems in advance of trying to sell to them. This naturally generates goodwill and trust in your marketplace and makes selling much easier.” 07. Format your content for readability Content design is an important part of content writing. With consumers’ attention spans growing shorter with each passing year, ensure that the content you’ve written first gets noticed, then read. Hopefully, it’ll convert a good portion of users, too. Even short social media posts can get more views with line breaks, attached images and strategic hashtags. Just make sure that the post’s design doesn’t distract from its overall readability. 08. Give readers a reason to engage You can add certain assets to your content writing that encourage engagement: More people will open a post if the headline has powerful words Supportive imagery can help people understand the content Actionable how-to steps can make the piece more useful Statistics, quotes from thought leaders and real-world examples can make content more convincing 09. Proofread your work A piece of content with an error is like a broken link on a website. While it might just seem like a minor inconvenience, frequent errors can reflect poorly on your brand. Tools like Grammarly can help you proofread your writing before publishing. 10. Use keywords organically The point of writing website content is to create high-quality, valuable content for your audience. While you should optimize your website’s content with best practices for search engines like light keyword research, alt text for images and internal linking, you should prioritize comprehensively covering the topic.

After you make a website, you might wonder what's the best way to drive traffic to it. You can explore many different avenues—for example, search engine optimization (SEO) and social media—but pay-per-click (PPC) is one of the quickest ways to get more users to your website. In this article, we’ll go over the essentials of PPC advertising and how it works, from the best platforms to use and how to conduct keyword research, to optimizing your campaigns. What is PPC? PPC is an online advertising model where marketers pay each time someone clicks on their ads via a search engine. Unlike organic methods of driving traffic to a site or webpage such as SEO, PPC focuses on the paid opportunities to get more clicks. When users type in a search engine query, the search engine results page (SERP) presents them with a list of links. The links at the top of the list are usually PPC ads, and if you click on one of them, the advertiser pays a fee for that click. Advertisers use pay-per-click ads to gather more leads, increase sales or simply increase awareness about their brand's product or services. Since the goal of PPC ads varies, the ads themselves can either target a set audience or budget or rank based on predetermined keywords. How does PPC advertising work? Since tons of companies and brands vie for clicks from the same users, PPC ads aren't as straightforward as clicking and paying. There's a method to it. Each time a user looks up a query on a search engine such as Google, an auction is triggered for advertisers like you to bid on the ad placement. This auction is based on set keywords and budget. The ad that wins the auction appears on the user's search engine results page (SERP), and if the user clicks on it, only then does the advertiser pay their bid on it. This whole process is done instantly on every search, so you need to have campaigns ready to enter into ad auctions—this includes creating the ad copy and setting a budget for the maximum you're willing to spend on each click. In the process, you’ll also choose relevant keywords which help determine how high the ad is placed. Running PPC ads isn't only about creating eye-catching ads that users will click on. You'll also need to ensure that when they land on the desired page, they stay there and act. SEO vs PPC: What’s the difference? While both SEO and PPC advertising use similar tools (e.g. keywords) to drive traffic, they’re not the same. As we mentioned earlier, SEO takes a free approach to driving each click, such as optimizing content so that it comes up naturally in a SERP. Pay-per-click, by contrast, relies on paid clicks to display ads to users. The cost isn’t the only difference between SEO and PPC. The amount of time it takes for the advertising method to kick in differs drastically. Since SEO is an organic strategy, you’ll need to build it up over time and it can take months to see traffic come to your site. With PPC, results are based on how much you’re willing to pay, so you’ll see them a lot quicker. That being said, advertisers shouldn’t choose between paid and organic ads, but rather apply both to their marketing strategy. If you’ve already done the keyword research for your SEO strategy, you can apply them to your PPC campaign as well and increase your chance of ranking on the SERP. On average, SEO advertising converts at a rate of 2.4% compared to PPC at 1.3%, so by using both methods, you can increase your conversion rate even further. Best PPC platforms Several PPC platforms exist, but for the most part, when we talk about PPC, we're referring to either Google Ads or Microsoft Advertising (Bing). Google Ads Advertising on Google needs no introduction, it's the platform of choice for advertisers who want to present their ads to the broadest possible audience. However, since 86.6% of people turn to Google to search for answers to their questions and to run their ads, it's highly competitive and Google ads can cost more than on other platforms. Microsoft Advertising While "Let me Bing that" doesn't have quite the same ring to it, Microsoft holds nearly a 3% share of the search engine market. The audience here isn't as wide, but that also means you'll spend less on clicks. Many advertisers turn to Microsoft Advertising as a secondary platform for their PPC campaign to cover more ground. Facebook Ads While we don’t traditionally think of the social network as a search engine, Facebook Ads allow you to run paid campaigns similarly to how you would on Google or Bing. Like Google Ads, you can also target a specific audience with Facebook, and the ads natively appear in users’ feeds. Since Facebook also owns Instagram, you can use this ad platform to run your paid campaigns on both social networks. Other PPC platforms Aside from the above three ad platforms above, you might want to consider bidding on platforms like: AdRoll RevContent Bidvertiser Amazon Ads Adblade BuySellAds Best practices for running PPC campaigns Below you’ll find some important tips and methods to keep in mind setting up a PPC campaign of your own. Conduct keyword research Arguably the most important part of creating your first PPC campaign is the keyword research. To start, focus first on specific terms that are relevant to your niche. Then, slowly start expanding to include less common terms that users still might search for. Useful tools like Google Keywords Planner, Ahrefs and SEMRush can help you save time at this stage. Be sure to look for short-tail, long-tail and relevant keywords. You want to end up with an expansive list of relevant keywords to target in your campaign. It's common to have a list of hundreds to work with. Research negative keywords as well, or those you don't want to rank for. Excluding negative keywords to your PPC campaign ensures that you don't waste your ad budget on clicks that won't bring you users with high intent. For example, if you own a small business that sells women's shoes, a negative keyword might be "men's shoes," since you don't want to pay for unnecessary clicks. Similarly, create a list of branded keywords that users might search for. Branded keywords are search terms that include your brand's name, a competitor's brand name or something similar (including common misspellings). With a brand like Nike, for example, branded keywords would include "Nike sneakers," "where to buy Nike," or even "Nik shoes." Set the right budget To begin the ad auction process, set a budget for each keyword. Your budget can determine whether or not your ad has a good chance of winning an auction, so research keywords thoroughly to make sure you're paying for those that will most likely garner clicks. When you decide which keywords you want to focus on, you'll set a budget for each keyword or ad group. This will be the maximum cost-per-click (CPC) amount of each bid. So, for example, just because you set your budget at $1.00 for a specific keyword doesn't mean you'll pay that for every click. You might pay $0.50 most of the time, but $1.00 is the most you'll pay. Create quality ads When running a PPC campaign, target the right keywords and ensure your content is relevant to the query. Aside from your maximum CPC, other factors determining whether your ad will show up on a SERP include quality score and ad rank. Your ad's quality score depends on how useful users have found your ad. The score itself is determined by a few different metrics, including the expected click-through-rate (CTR) of an ad, its relevance to the user's original search query and the quality of the landing page. The higher your quality score is, the less you're likely to pay per click. Similarly, an ad with a low-quality score can expect to pay more. Search engines often penalize low-quality advertisers, so if you have a low score, your ads may not even show up on a SERP. How to target your audience with PPC advertising With the right research and strategy, pay-per-click advertising can help you get target audiences to see your campaigns. Keywords aren't the only way to target your audience in PPC campaigns. You can also target other elements to further define your campaign, like: Device Geolocation Day and time Demographics Previous online activity By targeting your ads to be highly specific, you have a higher chance of someone seeing your ad at exactly the right time. For example, if you know your audience shops online from their phones in the evenings, and that they're between the ages of 25-45, you can set certain ad parameters to target those customers exactly. You can also use this strategy when it comes to retargeted ads. This means that if a customer clicks on your paid ad but doesn't make a purchase, you can show them different ad messaging or use another type of advertising, like display ads, to grab their attention. How to manage and optimize your PPC campaigns Running PPC campaigns as a "set it and forget it" model won't work; you need to regularly monitor and update your campaign to get the results you want. When setting your goals, choose key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure if your campaign yields desired results. To measure your ad campaign's success, decide on your goals in advance. Whether it's generating brand awareness, promoting a new product, or driving more website traffic—the metrics you use to gauge your campaign's success will differ. If your campaign doesn't perform as intended, try tweaking the keywords, reassessing your CPC budget, targeting different users or creating new ad groups. Optimizing your campaign involves trial and error to see what keywords users engage with, what time of the week or day they're most active, what ads cost you the most, and which ones bring you the most traffic. Overall, any advertiser's goal with a PPC campaign is to generate the best results with the lowest cost per click. Optimize your campaign with the following methods: Ensure your ad groups are organized so that you can see if they focus enough on the right keywords. You can also consider if you're using the right type of ad - there are so many, from native advertising to others. Remember to use clear UTM links to properly track your campaigns. Use ad extensions to display products, contact details or anything else that engages audiences. Constantly reassess your landing page to make sure it’s relevant, loads fast and provides an optimal user experience. Run A/B tests using different landing pages for the same ad or different ad copy for the same landing page. Always search for new keywords or variations to use that might have lower competition. Regularly research and add negative keywords to avoid wasting ad budget. Update your match types so that you can include more broad keywords that might have a lower CPC than an exact keyword.