Sure, you are free to design your website the way you want it to be. However, there are website conventions you should NOT shove aside. We all want our website to be unique and different, but there are website standards we should always pursue. If not, the website will appear unfamiliar and difficult to navigate.

Here are 5 common website conventions that you should consider when creating a website:

1. The Arrangement of the Company Logo.

• With the all the different websites you have browsed, the logo is always placed at the topmost portion of the website. Am I right?
• The common placement is usually placed on the top left region of the page. Well, there are site that place the logo on the center. If you are unsure where to display the logo, stick to the left alignment.
• Since it is one of the first things a user sees when accessing your website, there is no need to make it extremely obvious. Just make sure that when one clicks the logo, it should always redirect back to the website’s main page.

2. The Website Navigation.

• Navigation is an essential component of a powerful website. When a user is specifically searching for something, navigation should be understandable without much explanation.
• Typically, navigation options should be at the top beside the logo. If not, it should be place right below the logo.
• Also, don’t provide many web pages. Limit it to only 5 pages. You can add more options by adding sub pages. This way, your navigation won’t overwhelm your users. Remember, your task is to help them find the information they need. If you add more options, it will just add confusion. So, don’t bombard them too many areas to explore.

3. The Content Placement.

• Your website won’t be complete without its contents. With that being said, your content should have the appropriate title and heading. There should also an introductory paragraph, main body, and concluding paragraph.
• If you wish to highlight important details, use heading tags. H1 is, of course, the biggest and H6 is the smallest. Apply the different heading options as you see fit.
• Make sure that essential keywords are emphasized to help increase your page ranking, and draw in interested web visitors.

4. The Use of a Grid System.

• You might wonder, “Why are grids important?” The truth is that a grid helps to attain consistency. You are sure the placements of the texts and images are symmetrical.
• The horizontal and vertical lines of the grid give you an idea where to put certain elements on a web page. It will help in perfecting the overall look of the website.
• Ultimately, the website will be pleasing to the eyes, knowing that the web elements are in order.

5. The Use of Hyperlinks.

• You will provide your customers links to crucial parts of your website. When you are selling products online, you need to remind them about the shipping fees and options. So, these links should be visible. The users should be able to differentiate a normal text and an anchor text.
• Clickable links should be obvious. The web visitors should know that this link will redirect them to the FAQ page; this link will go the gift cards & coupons; and so on.

When you are working on a project, of course, you need a team of reliable people. Don’t forget you also need to use an adequate project management tool. These tools will help you manage the current workflow, keep tabs on the task at hand, and most importantly, it will keep you in the right track on what’s need to be done ASAP!

On this note, I am writing this post to list my personal list of project management tools. I’m sure you all are familiar with Trello. By the way before, I mention more brands, I will put a disclaimer that this blog post is not sponsored in any way. Like I said, I’m just sharing my personal list. Anyway, let’s get started.

• First on the list is: Trello.

  • It’s my personal favorite because it’s free. You can upgrade and get premium functions and tools for $9.99 a month.
  • Manage your task with Trello. You can easily organize your project depending to your preference. It is very adaptable and responsive so it’s pretty easy to make necessary changes.
  • Companies such as RedHat, Fender, Adobe, Google, Kickstarter, British Red Cross, and National Geographic are proud users of Trello.
  • With Trello’s boards, you can conveniently collaborate with people. It’s an interactive way to update your progress. You can simply drag and drop the Trello cards. You can also add comments and dates to each card created.
  • Dive into the details by adding comments, attachments, due dates, and more directly to Trello cards. Collaborate on projects from beginning to end.

• Number 2 on the list is Paymo.

  • The free account is perfect for freelancers. Once you sign up, you get a to do list, project boards, a time tracking feature, a desktop app, an Adobe extension, file sharing capabilities, and 1 GB free storage.
  • The paid feature starts at $9.56 a month. It includes all the free features plus 50 GB storage, cutting-edge invoice and reporting tools, and many more.
  • More 100,000 businesses trust Paymo. Whether your priority is to plan, schedule, or manage a task, Paymo can surely help you getting your social media, blogging, marketing, web design tasks done in no time.

• The last on my list is MeisterTask.

  • If the name seems familiar to you, it is because MeisterTask is a sister company of MindMeister, a mind mapping app.
  • Anyway, MeisterTask, like the previous 2 tools, have a basic account. You can get a free account with a set of limited task managements features. The pro version starts at $8.25 a month and it includes multiple project members, checklists, and to do list.
  • The MeisterTask dashboard is straight to the point. You will immediately get an overview of what to expect for the today’s tasks. You get to see what’s done, what’s current open, what’s in progress, and what’s for review.

With these tools, there’s no reason for you to be stressed in managing a project. Lesser chances of making a fatal mistake. It’s time to say yes to better planning, and ditch the unorganized ways of collaborating. This is now the modern and smart of doing tasks. You are certain that you are on the same page with all your team members.

For sure, when there’s a list post, people will devour it quickly. As I mentioned previously, readers favor this type of post. In fact, a list post is the second most preferred post format. However, not a lot of people have perfected the proper procedure of doing things.

There are still some who terribly fail at organizing a fun list post. With that being said, I decided to list down a few tips in crafting the best list post. It’s not easy as you think. Nevertheless, if you apply these tips, I’m sure you will grasp the precise way of constructing a list post. Here are the 8 tips you need to know:

• An effective list post gets rid of the flowery and euphemistic words. It should elaborate each bullet point explicitly.
• Yes, not all points may be something new and refreshing for your readers, but at least, they take away a thing or two. They might say to themselves, “Hey, I already know 1 and 2. However, numbers 3 to 5 are something I didn’t know about. I should apply these tips right away!”
• A prime list post should also be relatable to the general public. Give concrete examples that are all around you, and something almost everyone uses on a daily basis. If you have a wide demographic of followers, just go with the general scenarios and explain it in great detail.
• Of course, it would not be a list post if you don’t number your items! This is crucial when you are formulating a long list. The numbers help the audience calculate their reading progress as they can through your article. For instance, you can remind your readers that “We are on the 4th point now” or “You have reached the 2nd to the last tip.”

Related: Blogging 101: How to Construct Your Blog Post

• Just because you made a list post, it does NOT mean that the article should not follow a certain flow. Like your other published post, there should be a unique story to it. You can sort your list by relevance; you can also do it alphabetically, or chronologically.
• Another related tip is to start and end your post with your strongest and most impactful piece of advice. For the middle part, it’s up to you to rearrange the points. Just think of it as a sandwich. You would need the perfect bun to hold also the tomato, cheese, lettuce, and the meat all together.
• Lastly, a list post can only entice the audience if it is able to tell the readers what to expect by just reading the title. Because the readers know exactly what they will get upon reading, there are no mind games and no beating around the bush.
• On this note, look at your post title and check if they are concise and direct to the point. If you indicate 5 tips, make sure you are able to give 5. If you put there “tutorial,” ensure that your instructions are clear. Stick to what you indicated on your title!

Related: What Makes a Product Page Effective?

Why do web visitors love reading list posts? For those who don’t know, a list post is an article written in a list format. The list could be anything under the sun; it can be a list of: life hacks, useful shortcuts, product recommendations, movie suggestions, video tutorials, beauty tips, fashion trends, and many more.

Someone writing a to do list.

A list post is the second most favored type of post among readers. Basing from the most number of social media shares and likes, infographic tops the list. However, the list post comes close, and it’s no surprise why many list posts go viral all over the internet.

Why is this?

It is want our brains want. Of course, the human brain processes millions of information every single day. It is tiring to constantly deal with heaps of information and convert them to something understandable. The brain wants things easy and direct to the point so that it won’t waste too much energy on deciphering everything.

In short, list posts are everyone’s favorite because:

• it grabs the readers’ attention.
• there are no unnecessary details.
• it is helpful and convenient.
• lastly, it is straightforward and easy to understand.

Just a little trivia for you: One Mashable article gained more than 1,100 social shares in just the first 7 hours after it was published. Isn’t that amazing?

A list post is an entertaining and pleasant read for 5 main reasons:

• If you are blogging within specific field of expertise, then it is imperative to do a list post – as it is extremely helpful in explaining complex topics. This is your chance to share what you know by imparting valuable tips and giving your readers a heads up on what’s in and what’s not.
• Plus, list posts are easy to scan and easy to read. You  will spare the wandering eyes from scanning through huge chunks of information. A wordy paragraph will definitely bore people.
• You get to inspire other people to do the same. My personal favorites are: Top Ten Techniques a Hacker May Have Already Tried on You, 15 Undeniable Truths About Book Nerds, and YA Books for Gamers! So, write away because you might just inspire someone to blog.
• A list post will always cater to people who love to multitask. Even if you are busy with other things to do,  going through a list post will just be a breeze for you.
• It’s a win-win situation for both the reader and the writer. The reader gets an easy to understand post filled with bullets and numbers while the writer won’t have to conjure complex sentences. Simple sentences are fine. Even phrases are okay too!

Here are 6 list posts that I wrote:

• How to Assess Your SEO Strategy (Part 1)
• Exceptional and FREE Keyword Research Tools
• SEO Factors to Closely Track This 2019
• SEO Habits That Are Still Relevant Today
• Must-Have Modern Web Design Elements (Part 1)
• How to Increase Your Conversion Rate with Images

By the way, keep your eyes peeled for part 2 because I will share tips in writing the perfect list post for your blog.

Previously, I discussed about the different types of buyers. Now, I will continue talking about psychology and web design. I will expound on the topic of the importance of setting parameters, and grouping your customers. The effective way of converting web visitors isn’t just merely creating a visually appealing website, but you also need to study the consumer behavior.  Let us begin discussing some important findings below.

• Set parameters.

  • Dr. Robert Cialdini, a best-selling author and an esteemed professor at the Arizona State University, studied the product descriptions of the American Cancer Society website. He used two similar sentences in asking for monetary donations.
    • The first sentence: “Would you be willing to help by giving a donation?”
    • The second sentence: “Would you be willing to help by giving a donation? Every penny will help.”
  • There’s not much difference. Only four words were added to the second sentence. However, the sentence “Every penny will help.”  made a drastic change to the site’s activity.
  • It was clear that people gave generous donations when the second sentence was used. Only 28% were convinced to donate on the first sentence. There was huge leap from 28% to 50%!
  • What can we take from this study? People will lend a hand if parameters are set. The sentence “Every penny will help.” was the parameter, and it was able to emphasize that no money is too small. You can donate .50 cents, $1, $20, or any amount would do.
  • Start small because people will most likely voluntarily take action because it’s easy to do. They will be willing to take action because a parameter was set. It was apparent that any monetary donation is acceptable even if it’s only a dollar or so.

Related: Psychological Tricks to Apply on Your Website

• Labels are essential.

  • No, I am not talking about brand labels here. What I mean is that you should be labeling your customers.
  • According to research, people like labels. Generally, if they are part of the group, they will be honored to be part included in a list.
  • There was this study that questioned 133 voters. The researchers said that they were included on the study because they were perceived as “politically active.” The truth is that no of it was true. The participants were just randomly selected, and they were made to believe that they were part of the “politically active” group.
  • The labeled group had a higher voter turnout. There was 15% difference over the unlabeled group of voters. We, humans, are more welcoming and approachable when we know we belong to a group. Being the outcast is never a happy feeling.
  • Thus, when you have a loyalty program, group your customers. Being a premium card holder is a prestigious distinction. “VIP” customers will, most likely, shop more because they know that they are highly regarded than “ordinary” customers.
  • At the end of the day, whatever the status, they are all your customers. From a business perspective, there’s no difference. However, from the consumers’ point of view, they feel elated to be part of the “first-class” customers.