emiko-o reware

Maximizing the Online Revolution: Improving Web Performance & Design

Marla Johnson Norris

Marla Johnson Norris, CEO of Aristotle Design wowed us for 2 hours straight with an amazing presentation completely catered to jewelers, giving us the lowdown on what makes successful websites. She not only laid it out in terms we could understand (not too techie), but had example after example of SNAG member’s websites and what could be improved or tweaked, or what was hitting it right on. No holds barred, she went to the top and scrutinized even the PDS organizers’ websites.

Let me share with you some of the highlights I’ve gleaned from her Top 10 Tips to improving your website performance.
KNOW YOUR KEYWORDS:  use your Artist Name, Jewelry types/Materials/Trends, Specific Design Terms. Start Broad and narrow down; you’re aiming for that sweet spot where a lot of people are searching for your keyword, but there isn’t much competition for that keyword.

REPEAT your KEYWORDS on your site in multiple places: hypertext links, image titles, title pages, title tags, website address, headline font.

HAVE CONTENT ON YOUR HOMEPAGE: Just having a pretty image doesn’t cut it, you NEED to have text (and text that is not a rasterized image), content, and links. Content on POP UP windows or PULL DOWN MENUS won’t be seen by the search engines. Now, before you freak out, do this at least: have your SITE MAP to your website posted, which will list all the hypertext links.

FLASH-driven SITES ARE BAD. Yes, this I was aware of and had my pretty flash site redone into HTML so the search engine spiders can find you. Flash sites are basically seen as one big image–so get over your flash selves and get with it!

MUSIC IS BAD. Nuf said.

PROVIDE PRICING ONLINE: Make it easy for people to buy your work, saves your time and theirs.

LABEL ALL YOUR IMAGES. Be specific, concise with your file names and don’t forget to label your Alt Tags and Captions. Flickr is a good example where they make it easy to label the tags for all your images. Abbreviated labels, or using your own coding system (like eo_id346) does not help others find your work, nor does it help Google Images find you either.

Marla Johnson Norris

CREATE APPROPRIATE TITLE TAGS, and LIMIT THEM TO 65 CHARACTERS MAX. This was the big whammy for all of us, especially those people who use web mac templates for their websites, which often have default, lame title tags. The TItle Tag being what comes up on that very top bar of your browser, above the URL. This is definitely a programmer/coding kind of thing, but UBER IMPORTANT. Every character counts, so GET RID OF :: | | _ _ in your title tags. The FIRST WORD is the most important, the second word the second important, and so on.  If your title tag says “Home :: Welcome”, you better change it quick. “Francesca Vitali Paper Jewelry” is ideal.

And not that, but EVERY PAGE SHOULD HAVE A DIFFERENT TITLE TAG. Otherwise, you’re only competing with yourself.

My last AHA tidbit to share is: DESIGN FOR CURRENT SCREEN RESOLUTION. Yes, this sucks for those of us whose sites are coming from the age of 800 x 600 pixels. Lesson: redesign every 2 years. Stats are that only 8% of web users have a max screen resolution of that size. Today less than 32% of people are viewing at 1024 x 768!

To sum up, remember these points: Make it EASY, Have CLEAR CATEGORIES, Every page leads to SALES, BIG IMAGES, PROFESSIONAL looking DESIGN.

WHew!

loews philadelphia hotel

First day: Checked into the SNAG Conference hotel, Loews Philadelphia; an Art Deco building, comfortable, and has a boutique feel. Just had a chance to run down a block to the Reading Terminal Market on 12th St and grab some fresh fruit and get back for the Professional Development Seminar at 2pm.

PDS Gallery Panel

Here are the lovely ladies of the Gallery panel portion of the afternoon, waiting for the Professional Development Seminar to start. Left to right: Karen Lorene (Facére Gallery), Beth Ann Gerstein (Society of Arts & Crafts), Ruth Synderman (Works Gallery), Whitney Couch (Object Fetish), Sienna Patti (Sienna Gallery) (not pictured: Patti Bleicher of Gallery Loupe).

A jam-packed 4-hour afternoon of very very important info, with the theme, “Maximizing the Online Revolution: Websites and Beyond”. And while I’ve been to my share of website optimization sessions (and having a boyfriend in the industry doesn’t hurt), I learned a TON of stuff that I will share with you all later tonite. But off to the pinswap–it’s 7:13 and I don’t want to miss out on the good ones!

12 hours, 2 flights and 36 sleepless hours later, I arrived at the Philadelphia airport, glad to have touched ground, free from screaming infants. And what to greet me but a Jewelry exhibition! Imagine that, in the little Continental wing of the airport. Awesome. Great display, innovative work, and here are some shots I share with you (please excuse the slight blow out on some of the images).

Painted maple and 24 gold plated brass necklaces by Bruce Metcalf

Silver plated bronze and brass sculptures, “Disposable Takeout Series” by Susan Myers

3-D print and resin, gypsum “PUSHERE” by Stanely Lechtzin and Danielle Kerner

Bracelets in silver and silicone rubber by Vicki Sedman (a personal favorite of mine–must be the futuristic look, plus it’s pink).

Well, that was last night, and now, fully rested, I’m on to the Professional Development Seminar–just a little over and hour from now!

A few weeks ago I got a call from ReadyMade magazine, which was interested in writing a story about me and my LEGO work (they had a LEGO focus and found me on Etsy). So not only will you see me in next month’s print issue on the newstands, but I was also interviewed by the lovely Katherine Sharpe, the new online editor for this article that went online today! Definitely one of the best written interviews I’ve had so far. She calls me “Miss Modular”, and I have to say I find it quite catchy and appropriate. Go to ReadyMade to read the article.

I’ve got less than 24 hours to get everything ready for the SNAG (Society of North American Goldsmiths) “Revolution” conference in Philadelphia–the heat is on, to pack, and finish my new pieces (see Cygne Noir in progress, to right) for the Jewelry In Motion runway show on Thursday, May 21 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

SNAG has tapped me to be an official blogger for the conference, along with Francesca Vitali and Gabriel Craig. Check our bios and links to their blogs on the SNAG Conference page. Stay tuned here for updates and images from the conference, starting Wednesday, May 20.

Just got the exciting news that my Duchess 2 neckpiece won 1st Place Juror’s Choice Award at the Decorative Resurgance exhibition at Rowan Gallery! Definitely took me by surprise; I had to read the letter twice before it really kicked in that I wasn’t imagining things. So glad that I delayed my flight leaving the SNAG conference so that I could attend the Artist Reception for this show on May 24. For those of you who live near Glassboro, NJ, come join me at the reception! This award could explain the use of the Duchess 2 image on the SNAG Conference Exhibitions page (scroll to the bottom)….

In preparing for Facére Jewelry Art Gallery‘s The Long and Short of It earring show (May 6-27), I made a ton of new earrings; 3 different series of work: Limited Edition Windows, sleek tiles, and more Orbit, space age fun. See for yourself on my etsy store!

The Windows were sure a hit at the Palo Alto Art Center trunk show a few weeks ago; they also come in bronze with patinated silver, and aqua blue, which will be perfect on the runway in a few weeks! I’m working feverishly on 2 new necklaces in the series, My First Royal Jewels, for a runway show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art during the SNAG conference on May 21. Inspired by the current Lalique, Fabergé, and Tiffany exhibition at the Legion of Honor (first at the Cleveland Museum of Art–a much more extensive exhibit in OH, glad I saw it there first). Lalique’s infamous Insect Women with Black Swans necklace is my next replica in LEGO®, as well as an early Blue Steel necklace by Boucheron (original images below). I’ll be posting progress on these pieces in the next week. Choo choo, all aboard for the next stop on the e-train express…..

Boucheron necklace in blue steel

Here we are in May already–full speed ahead! It’s going to be a CRAZY art-filled month, starting May 15 with the Accessorize with Toys workshop at the Palo Alto Art Center for their signature Circle of 75 event. Shana and I will be showing participants how to make charm bracelets and keychains with recycled toy parts and basic jewelry findings and tools. Painter Tim Craighead is the other workshop artist of the evening. The event starts off with cocktails and cuisine from 6-7pm, with the workshops from 7-9pm.
Join us by RSVP to Lisa.Gordon@cityofpaloalto.org or call 650.617.3143.
Stay tuned for more events on the e-train express!

Thanks to Jessica Fromm’s article “Art as Fashion” in last week’s Metro Silicon Valley, I had great success at Palo Alto Art Center’s STYLE 2009. An all day event, starting with a special breakfast at 9:30am, and catered lunch by former Google chef, Charlie Ayers, who now has his own restaurant, Calafia (the name of which is supposedly the origin of our state’s name). As Liz Lemon would say, “I want to go to there!” A busy day all around, you wouldn’t have known that a recession was going on with all the shopping bags; can I get an Amen over here for the “LEGO lady”!

And for those of you who are surprised by the non-LEGO accompanying image, well, so am I. Don’t be fooled by the caption; it was a misprint. While, yes, that is me in the photo, pre-red streaks (photo credit to Christine Dhein), the incredible circuit board ensemble here is by the lovely Reed Easley–her “Electronic Empire Series”. I notified the editor and writer and was assured that a correction would be printed with the correct artist names.

There were so many great artists (and familiar faces) at this show; I was in superb company in the auditorium, where the jewelers and accessory artists were located. Carol Windsor had a super pro display showcasing her handmade paper petal designs, and Julia Turner had her exquisite collection of handmade wood and metal pieces. Plus NICHE winner and local gallery owner, Davide Bigazzi, and April Higashi representing her Berkeley gallery, Shibumi Studio & Gallery. Thanks to  Diane Masters, “Empress of Style” for coordinating this fabulous event!

Carol Windsor's earrings

Julia Turner's brooch