Web Design Blog

In a word: NOTHING. They are not web designers or developers. Just as you have no understanding about their business, they have no understanding of the technical jargon you know. Some clients might be a bit more savvy than others however 9 times out of 10 the mom n pop shops out there know NOTHING.

So what should a good web designer to do about it? (Read more…)

With the recent relaunch of the Web Designer Directory, we’ve made two significant policies changes that I want to make advertisers aware of:

1. Links have been changed to out.php?id=XXXX instead of a straight link
   I know this switch will probably make a number of our advertisers unhappy and I was very reluctant to make it but I feel it was needed. Recent events and comments from members of the Google team have made it clear that Google frowns upon the selling of text links in any form. The directory derives a great deal of traffic from Google (we’re currently ranked #2 for “web designers”) and I don’t want to do anything to endanger that status. On the upside, this change will allow us to finally implement click-tracking, a feature many advertisers have requested.
2. Listings are sorted randomly
   Previously, listings were ordered by the purchase date. While this was great for the first guy, it really sucked for the last guy. From now on, all listings will be sorted randomly. Sponsored listings will still be shown above free listings and the Google/Yahoo ads. I believe this will be a fairer policy.

Is this a wise decision or should I have told Google stick it?

NOTE: An e-mail notification of these policy changes was sent to all advertisers who agreed to receive the Xemion newsletter.  If you did not receive or missed the newsletter, it can be viewed here.  If you’re not on the list and would like to receive the next newsletter, be sure to login to your account and check the “Receive e-mail from Administrators” checkbox.

My long planned expansion of the Xemion Web Designer Directory is finally complete. The directory now includes web design companies by Industry (such as Real Estate, Law Firms, Church and Non-Profits) and by Type (such as E-Commerce, Flash and Small Business).  I’ve also created directory pages for graphic design, online marketing and hosting firms.

Even more exciting to me is the expansion of the directory into more of a community-focused site with the launch of this blog and the merger with my DevLobby forum. I’ve got a great deal more planned so stay stunned (subscribe to the RSS feed)!

I’m looking for experienced bloggers who are skilled web designers and developers to assist me in blogging on this site!

Compensation, if any, would be low and primarily limited to revenue sharing (of which there is currently none). The benefits would be a mix of free marketing and SEO links. Xemion is ranked #2 for “web designers” and a myriad of other terms and is one of the most-visited internet resources for people looking for web design firms. This would be a perfect opportunity for a web design company owner or freelance designer.

The blog would focus on web design industry trends, resources and news with very in-depth content. I want the blog to be an extremely high-quality resource for web developers. The ideal blogger would post at least 4-7 times a week. I’d be willing to accept posts from guest bloggers from time to time, but only posts of the utmost quality. Very in-depth and interesting, not generic “how-to”s, etc.

If you’re interested, please contact me and be sure to include links to your portfolio and existing blog as well as three titles of posts you would right.

Ok, I’m finally rolling this sucker out. It’s still a work in progress. More to come soon!