Here’s a quick rundown on how to use type like a pro on your website.

Typeface selection

There are five web-safe fonts that work on most Mac and Windows browsers. Here are the reasons you might choose one over the others:

Alignment

The appearance of type on your web page can change depending on the device, browser, screen resolution, and personal settings. Use left alignment instead of justified text for the best readability. When the browser justifies text, it inserts space in between words that cause the reader to pause or stumble when reading. Although you might end up with a ragged right edge when using left aligned type, it is still more readable. To help reduce the ragged right edge, put spaces before and after dashes so the browser puts the words before and after the dash on two lines if needed.

Column width

If your columns are too narrow, you break up your sentences into too many pieces, which slows down reading. If your columns are too wide, it is hard to move your eye from the end of a line to the beginning of the next line and you can get lost. Ideal line length for the web is approximately 12 words or 66 characters, however if a user changes the browser’s default font size, the number of words that can fit in a column changes. It’s best to use a measurement that changes depending on the font and size, such as an “em,” which is the width of a capital “M” in any given font. Setting the column width to 30 ems usually gives you the optimal column width no matter the type size.

Color

If you emphasize everything by using colors, you end up emphasizing nothing. Use colored type sparingly, only where it will help guide the reader, for example on subheads to help readers skim for the information they want. Don’t rely on color alone to convey information in case someone who is colorblind is looking at your site. Bold or italicize your type in addition.

Backgrounds

Use enough contrast between the background color on the page and the type. Colors that are too close in darkness are hard to read. Don’t put type on complex backgrounds or images with a lot of contrast or it will be difficult to read.

Smart punctuation

Professional typographers always use typographically correct punctuation on the web, including “smart” quotes and apostrophes, em and en dashes, and ellipses. Don’t use inch and foot marks, hyphens, and triple periods when you can use the real punctuation.

Amateur moves

These are web design choices that will instantly mark you as an amateur designer:

- Use of non-web-safe fonts
- Justified type
- Columns that are too narrow or too wide
- Too many colors
- Background color that’s too close to the text color
- Inch and foot marks, hyphens, and triple periods
- Two spaces between sentences
- Writing in all caps

Hopefully, this information has given you ideas about using type to strengthen your own website. Following basic rules of good typography can help produce professional-caliber results.

Here are 4 ways to get the love:

1. Relevance: Someone doing a search on Google is looking for information that is trustworthy, from an expert or enthusiast who knows the topic well, and includes original content. This original reporting, original research, and original analysis are top qualities in Google’s eyes, so create the one-of-a-kind content your audience is looking for.

2. Speed: Website visitors are not a patient lot. Studies show that users are happier with faster sites and less satisfied with slow sites, so speed is now a factor in Google site ranking. Make sure your web coding is lean and mean, uses the latest web standards, and uses CSS to minimize bulked-up code.

3. Comprehensiveness: Web users want to get all the information they need in one place. Include plenty of helpful information about your subject and links between content on your site so users can find everything they need without having to search elsewhere. Be smart about your tags, meta descriptions, and site architecture, and include relevant keywords in your copy to help Google find your content and rank it higher.

4. Freshness: Web searchers are looking for the latest information on a given topic, so Google ranks sites that have regularly updated content higher. While Google will crawl virtually every page on the web eventually, the more frequently your content changes, the faster Google comes back. Regularly create content with catchy headlines and cool stories covering the latest information on your specialties.

Remember: If Google doesn’t deliver, searchers will go elsewhere to find what they need, so it’s in Google’s best interest to deliver what searchers want: relevance, speed, comprehensiveness, and freshness. Make sure your site delivers these and Google will love your site.

Resources:

Learn why you shouldn’t launch your website without SEO and the art and science of SEO. Catch details about getting Google to love your site in the Marketing Profs class What Marketers Should Know About Google. And Google Webmaster Central is a great place to get all the inside help you need to optimize your site and keep your loving relationship with Google going strong.

Forrester recommends that technology marketers concentrate on the sources that yield the most influence and use social media to expand their reach, with the understanding that time spent on social media efforts probably will not yield great value in the short term.

1. Use QR codes on printed pieces:  “Quick Response Codes” do just what they say. A user views the QR code on an ad, poster, or the back of your business card using a smartphone app and the smart phone’s browser takes them quickly to a page on the web. Provide a relevant, meaningful, beneficial experience when a mobile user gets to your landing page through a QR code:

• Direct the viewer to a mobile-optimized version of your website.
• Show a digital business card including a photo and bio.
• Let the user RSVP to an event.
• Show a video or play audio.
• Show a case study or portfolio.
• Give an instant discount.
• Let the visitor sign up for a loyalty club.

Whatever you present should be a worthwhile and robust experience. Too many QR codes lead to a home page on a website with no special “bonus” for the QR viewer. And, track results by using custom QR codes for different programs to easily analyze the effectiveness of your QR codes.

2. Personalize it: Including a personalized URL (PURL) on a printed direct mail piece (or email) is a great way to get users to visit a site optimized just for them. Make sure when recipients take the time to type in the PURLs, that you have personalized their landing page. If you’re asking them to sign up for something, pre-populate the fields with their information and tailor images and your offer to their needs. This type of direct mail is highly trackable, and using PURLs can double your response rate on direct mail.

3. Do one-on-one social media marketing: With the cost of short-run digital printing falling, it’s possible to create highly personalized, hyper-targeted pieces to interact with your fans/followers on your social media sites in the real world. Consider asking for addresses from your loyal fans, and mail something valuable with a request for a follow-up. An example of a successful piece by Jeff Becker of ClientsFirst.com was a box customized with a PURL and personalized graphics containing iPod headphones and offering an iPod if the recipient would sign up for a one-on-one meeting with a company representative. The piece drew a 22% response rate and the business generated more than paid for the cost of the program.  In a Baylor study, marketers got a 75% increase in response rate by mailing something that was bulky or in a box.

Although print is not as big a marketing tactic anymore, make the most of printed pieces to integrate your offline and online marketing. Creating a campaign that incorporates both print and digital design can improve response rates and offer engaging online user experiences.

The goal of an effective banner ad is to get a qualified click on your ad. Creating banner ads that get results is easy using a formula developed by MarketingExperiments.com:

ea = 2at + i + as

This formula for creating an effective ad (ea) is based on three objectives: attracting attention (at), generating interest (i), and asking for the click (as).

Attract attention:

In order to attract attention, your ad should stand out from the page and other ads on the page. This can be achieved through a difference in one or more of the following:

• Size: Larger ads have more visibility.
• Shape: A unique shape or irregular edge can help your banner ad stand out.
• Color: Make sure the colors used in your banner ad are different from other banners and the overall page color.
• Motion: Consider animating an image (not text) in your banner ad.
• Position: Be sure your ad is in a prominent spot on the page to get better results.

Getting attention is the most important part of successful banner ad design, so it’s multiplied by two in the equation above. But use these attention-getting tactics judiciously: If you emphasize everything, you emphasize nothing.

Generate interest:

Once you have someone’s attention, you need to build interest to make your customer decide to click on your ad. Your ad needs to answer the question for your ideal customer, “Why should I click on your ad instead of doing something else?” Your value proposition and the interest it generates depend on the following:

• Appeal: Your offer should be attractive to your customers.
• Exclusivity: You should offer something no one else offers or for a limited time.
• Credibility: Any claims you make and images you include should be understandable and believable.
• Clarity: Be clear and concise so your customers can understand your offer.

Ask for the click:

Make sure that it’s clear what you want your ideal customer to do when they see your ad, and match the “ask” to optimize the number of qualified clicks:

• Implied or direct ask: Decide whether your customer would respond better to a direct ask, such as “Order Now,” or to a more subtle ask, such as “Learn more.”
• Decision stage of viewer: Match your offer to where the customer is in the sales cycle. Someone just starting to learn about your offer might be more interested in a brief introduction to your product, while a late-stage buyer might be willing to watch a 15-minute product demo.
• Tone: Match the tone of your request to your audience and what you’re asking them to do once they click.
• Level of authentic urgency: Your statement of urgency should be honest. Say “While supplies last” if you have a limited supply, or add a deadline if the offer will run out after a certain date, but don’t include misleading or dishonest information about your offer.

You can learn more about this easy formula by watching the MarketingExperiments.com webinar on Banner Ad Design.

Personal preferences

A 2011 poll of color preferences according to gender yields more information useful when designing your website. In the first 1083 results of this ongoing survey, both men and women selected blue and green as their favorite colors, but while purple was the third-most favorite color among women, purple was the third-least favorite color among men. Differences also come up depending on age, so the color palette you choose for a site geared to children might be quite different than one designed for older adults. What’s your favorite color? Take the one-minute poll and after you vote, you can see the latest worldwide results of this color preferences survey.

Color Harmony

Selecting a palette of colors that work together is part art and part science. After you select a principal color for your site, you can actually use color theory to select the color combinations that work together, using analogous colors, complementary colors, or a color triad. More about color harmony»

Color Deficit

Color blindness occurs when there is a problem with certain nerve cells of the retina. In the most common type of color blindness, a person has trouble telling the difference between red and green, but some people have trouble seeing blue-yellow colors, and in the most severe form of color blindness, a person cannot see any color. About 8% of Caucasian men, 6% of Asian men, and 4% of men of African descent have some form of color deficit (very few women do). But, as anyone ages, changes in our eyes can cause blue colors to appear darker, making it difficult to distinguish between red and purple or green and blue. To make sure your site is user-friendly to everyone, don’t rely on color to convey information. Use shape, size, labels, textures, and line shadings instead. More about color blindness»

Cultural Differences

Certain colors have different meanings depending on the culture you grew up in, and colors can send the wrong meaning if misused on your website. For example, if you were creating a wedding site for U.S. audiences, you might use a lot of white, which in western cultures is used for brides, angels, peace, etc. In some eastern cultures, white is the color of mourning and funerals, whereas red is the color for good luck and celebration, and is worn by brides. More about color in different cultures»

Color trends

Colors go in and out of style over time, including colors used in website design. Often these color trends come from the fashion and decorating worlds, and a great way to see what the future color trends will be is to check out the seasonal Pantone fashion color reports. These reports show the colors that textile designers will be using in their upcoming collections and incorporating them in your web design can put you ahead of the pack. Remember that in fashion, one week you’re in and the next you’re out, so design so it’s easy to update colors when the next season’s looks hit the runway. Pantone spring 2012 color forecast»

You

Of course, all these rules are trumped by the specific needs of your website. If your products are ecologically friendly, you might want to use a lot of green on your site. Selling coffee? Then brown might make sense. Trying to attract a Fortune 100 audience might call for a lot of blue. Testing different colors, asking your customers, and refining your color palette is the only way to know what colors work best for you.

What’s YOUR favorite color?

Take a one-minute survey and let us know what your favorite and least favorite colors are, plus take a look at what others around the world have said so far. Click here to take survey»

For instance, community college students and non-students use the Internet less, are less likely to have broadband access, and use wireless less than undergrads and grads in four-year programs. If you have an online-only marketing plan to reach these young adults, you’ll be missing some of your audience.

Non-students use social media more than any one of the college groups—undergrads, grad students, community college students—so a social-media-only program will again miss some of your target student customers.

Finally, college students are more likely to access the Internet on their cell phones than the national adult population, so including a mobile version of your online marketing materials is a good idea.

To learn more, check out the full Pew Internet College Students and Technology Report.

One of the reasons for including more online content is that the consumption of printed white papers, case studies, and product brochures/datasheets has declined. Podcast and video consumption has stayed steady, but respondents have increased their use of company web pages, e-books, social media sites, blog posts, and Flash or PowerPoint presentations when buying technology.

Corporate websites remain the primary location from which technology purchasers get information. One hundred percent of respondents to the survey reported reading company web content to evaluate a technology purchase. They arrived at the company website by searching (77%), through a link from a vendor email (46%), through a link from a colleague (34%), or via social media (19%).

Since search is so important to getting customers to this most influential channel, companies should make sure their websites are optimized for search, refreshed regularly, and linked to from all their other assets and communications.

To learn more about the study, register to download the free Eccolo Media 2011 B2B Technology Collateral Survey Report.

When looking for local business information today, the majority of consumers start online. Printed directory use, such as phone books, is declining, but is still a strong secondary source. Mobile search and social networking sites are even smaller than yellow pages, but are growing as secondary sources of local business information. Making sure your marketing dollars are spent in the right place is more important than ever.

Online marketing has surpassed print marketing

70% of survey respondents listed “online” as their primary starting place when looking for local business information in a recent local search survey by comScore and 15 miles. According to a recent survey of small businesses conducted by Vistaprint, spending on direct marketing and social media is increasing while spending in more traditional channels such as yellow pages, TV, radio, and newspapers is declining.

Printed phone book use declining

Internet directories have led to a dramatic decrease in the number of business owners and consumers who use phone books. Last month, Yelp presented a survey to gauge how business owners feel about yellow page phone books in the digital age. Only 24% of the 3,500+ respondents said “Yes” to the question, “Are yellow page phone books still relevant?” Very few business owners believe customers find them using a yellow page phone book.

Estimated percentage of customers who find me using a yellow page phone book:

Online directories can be very effective

As we continue to move away from printed phone books, online and mobile directories continue to grow as the customer’s choice for local business information. The big yellow pages companies have embraced this trend, with online directories optimized for search as part of their offerings. Joining a niche, association, or local directory is still a good approach for gaining traffic, as these directories target a specific audience and bring targeted traffic to your site along with a boost in page rank, especially if the site is highly rated.

Know your audience first

The results of the comScore survey differ widely based on the age of respondents, so it also pays to know your audience before selecting one marketing tactic over another.

Age: 18 to 34

Age: 35 to 54

Age: 55 and older

“I just placed my first ever yellow page ad with Yellowbook last week,” said Adele Talmadge of Talmadge Construction in Aptos, CA. “We are reaching out for the aging market who may need accessibility remodeling and I figured they might be more likely to go to the yellow pages than on line looking for a remodeler. Savvy business owners can still target specific markets through print media.”

Fine tuning your strategy

Only 14% of people who start at a search engine when looking for local businesses don’t also look for info elsewhere, too, so you need to make sure there is information about your company wherever your customers might look for you. They may search for your website online, look in the phone book, or search for your in an online directory. A great way to fine tune your strategy is to ask customers how they found you, and to test how effective each strategy is for your business by varying your tactics.

Your optimal marketing mix might be a combination of both print and online advertising and marketing.

Consumers research online before shopping

In the Online Shopper Intelligence Study, compete.com found that 60% of consumers research their purchases online first.

Also interesting to note, however, is that there is variability in search behavior across different industries. For example, only 12% of apparel shoppers use search, relying more on emails, websites, mailing, and ads from retailers.

And 59% of electronics shoppers rely more on websites than on search.

One of the most interesting statistics in an ongoing consumer tracking study conducted by BIA/Kelsey is that 97% of consumers use online media to search for local businesses and products. Among those surveyed, 90% use search engines, 48% use internet yellow pages and directories, 24% use vertical sites, and 42% use comparison shopping sites.

In-store shoppers use search before and during shopping

Consumers also search online before doing in-store shopping. According to a survey of consumer retail spending and trends from Deloitte, 75% of consumers look online for store, price, or product information before or during in-store shopping. More than half use social networking sites to research and interact with retailers, find out about promotions, and read reviews, with half of consumers saying that an online product review has influenced their decision on whether to buy a product.

Users search for local stores and products

According to Google, 20% of Google searches are related to local and 30% of mobile searches are local. Google Place pages appear before organic search results on results pages and visitors use this information to find out more about your company, map your location, and learn about your products or services. Listings in online directories and online yellow pages can also help your business appear in higher rankings.

How do you take advantage of these stats?

• Optimize your website for search
• Make sure your free Google Places page is correct and complete
• List your business in local online directories
• Optimize your site for mobile devices or have a mobile website
• Keep information on your Facebook page up to date
• Know your audience so you can focus on the online resources your customers use most

The Google “Grow Your Business Online” events are being held in locations around the world and are a great source of the latest information about online search. I highly recommend attending if one comes to a city near you!