For many entrepreneurs engaged in online business, the biggest concerns are improving search engine rankings and conversion rate. Indeed, it would be very difficult to generate sales and sustain your business without these factors. Unfortunately, some forget about the importance of a good Web design.

Strictly believing that more traffic would result to better sales, they tend to forget that a website must be user-friendly to foster loyalty and return visits.

In the words of Stoney deGeyter at Search Engine Guide, “SEO and SEM without good usability is like inviting people out to eat at a rat and roach infested restaurant. You may bring people in, but you won’t make them happy.” He then expounded on this idea and made this conclusion:

By fixing usability issues you can sell more while without having to spend a lot of money always trying to bring in a lot of new traffic. A little goes a long way. Once you are able to increase your conversion rates, every dollar you spend on marketing and SEO will be more effective and have a much bigger impact on your profit margins.

If truth be told, SEO and Web usability are interdependent of each other. But before you let in anybody to your house, make sure it is presentable and comfortable. So, which comes first? I guess you already know the answer. For more tips on how to improve your Website, check our Web development archives.

After 3 years of research to understand the underlying image problems, the people behind Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota have unveiled a re-branding campaign dubbed as “Minneapolis St. Paul More to Life.”

Because many communities are repositioning as “twin” or “tri” or “quad” cities, this this urban area wants to do away with this similar brand campaign and focus on correcting the image-damaging stereotypes held by many people that it is too cold, unsophisticated, socially dull, economically morose and there is nothing to do but go to Mall of America.

Judging from its city logo, I’m starting to agree that it is rather unsophisticated. It features the city’s name and tagline in red letters combined with a very common arrow design pointing upward or north to symbolize perhaps the city’s high aspirations. This logo design lacks the zing to create an impressive impression.

Because the state is threatened with pending shortage of skilled workers, Minneapolis-St. Paul wants to encourage more people to relocate and make this area the hub of next generation leaders.

Part of the campaign is to hype the top 3 assets of Minneapolis-St. Paul – “shopping, safe and vibrant urban cores, and a green and outdoorsy atmosphere.” Unfortunately, the survey has revealed the reluctance of many travelers to visit or move to this community.

Via TwinCities.com

There is a new franchise in Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and it is the Atlanta Dream. Along its new name comes a new logo design featuring red, white and sky blue color scheme.

The name is quite refreshing for the major pro sport franchises in Atlanta are named after birds such as Hawks, Falcons and Thrashers.

The sports logo shows the text “Atlanta” spelled in red capital letters. Directly below the city’s red text is the word “Dream” in sky blue color shadowed with colors red and white. You might notice there are 3 little sky blue stars and a big one on the letter “A” in the word Dream. Very visible is the basketball “propelled out of the star”. It is reminds me of the Xbox and Xerox’s brand new logo design.

It is no coincidence that this new WNBA team is launched after the annual holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. Perhaps the name Dream is inspired by his “I Have a Dream” speech. In fact, team owner Ron Terwilliger relates its connection to the great civil rights leader.

“Atlanta is a city of dreamers and this week we have had time to reflect on what it means to dream and what can happen when you do. Little girls, like little boys, imagine playing in front of cheering crowds and achieving success in professional sports leagues. We believe Dream best captures Atlanta’s spirit and the core values of the WNBA. We look forward to the Atlanta Dream continuing to make history as we work toward our goal of transcending sports,” said Terwilliger in a press release.

Health Check is Canada’s information program to help consumers make healthy food choices. Created by Heart and Stroke Foundation, its logo design is stamped on a food item or restaurant to guarantee that it meets the criteria set by Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating. According to this organization, it is like “shopping with the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s dietitians”.

It is similar to the front-of-pack Choices logo headed by multinational company Unilever. But now it is heavily criticized because of the high sugar, fat and sodium contents found in some of the 1,500 food items with “Health Check” logo.

Raised by an obesity expert and medical director of Bariatric Medical Institute, Dr. Yoni Freedhoff believes this could deceive many consumers who rely on this logo design every time they buy food items. To make matters worse, Freedhoff thinks recommending these foods is tantamount to encouraging consumers to acquire chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes. Some of the items put in question are cookie bars, muffins and flavored milk drinks.

In defense, the organization claims it is making some changes concerning this program. In fact, more than 100 items were affected by the said changes. Manufacturers of these items are now ordered to reformulate to meet the standards. The bad news is that the deadline is on December 28, 2009!

via The Ottawa Citizen

BBC Three (BBC3), a British TV channel aimed at 25 to 34 year olds, has unveiled a new whimsical pink logo design as part of its multiplatform re-branding initiative.

The company spent a total of £380,000 or approximately $740,000 for the whole campaign. The logo itself costs £35,000 or $68,000 while each ident or call sign is worth £50. The new designs will come out next week in its TV channel and official website.

BBC3’s new design will replace the very simple blue logo design. Part of the change is getting rid of its current ident appearing between programs known as the “talking blobs”. While some find it rather funny, a research conducted by the company showed the lack of audience appreciation for this animation. Though BBC3 strongly believe the talking blobs are adorable, the viewers see it as confusing as well as “cold and shouty”.

In terms of re-branding, this British channel is shifting its focus to the Web by adding interactive features and giving “audience the sense of ownership over BBC Three”. For instance, viewers can upload their video clips to introduce their favorite programs. Adding user-generated contents is a good tactic to forge a bond between this channel and its viewers.

via The Guardian