Inbounderish

If you only know one thing about web design, let it be the term “responsive.” Most good web designers and developers will make sure that you have what is called a responsive website, but as a small business owner or Webmaster it’s important that you understand how it works so that you don’t get stuck with a designer who didn’t bother. A responsive design is what’s going to make your website easy to see on all different types of screens—mobile, tablet, desktop, etc.—and in 2014 this will be a necessity if you want to keep up with your competition. If you end up with a design that isn’t responsive not only will your website look out of place, but it will look unprofessional on a mobile device and turn people away.

According to this article published on Convince and Convert, by 2014 mobile is predicted to overtake desktop Internet usage. The moral of the story: Understanding responsive web design truly deserves your undivided attention this upcoming New Year.

How Responsive Web Design Works

Having a responsive web design means that your website will respond to different screen sizes and make adjustments accordingly (with no work on your part). For example, if your design is responsive there are a few things that will likely change if someone looks at your website through a mobile phone:

• Images will either be moved to the bottom of the screen or they will be resized so they don’t take up the whole screen.
• Buttons might get larger to compensate for the small screen.
• Important content should be at the top of the screen, so things like ads or a search bar would be moved to the bottom.

Of course, different things will change if you’re using a tablet for example. The buttons might not get pictured and the images might move in a different way than they did when you looked at your website on a mobile screen. Again, it’s all about the best possible view for users. The best way to understand this concept has always been through screenshots:

As you can see, things are moved around based on the size of the screen. If you have a responsive web design, this will automatically happen for your website. Had you not had a responsive design, someone would visit your mobile website and see nothing but a large ad or a big “L” in the second example. Below is an example that shows the opposite problem:

As you can see, going from a website built for a smaller screen to this larger screen also had its problems. This example comes from some sort of wide screen, and you can see a lot of white space on the sites because a responsive web design was not used.

Of course, some companies don’t have a responsive design and choose to have an entirely different website for mobile; however in general responsive web designs are easier to manage and more preferred.

Moving Forward with Responsive Web Design

As a Webmaster or small business owner just looking to get a feel for how it all works, the above are great basics that will help you know what to ask and what to request of your web designer. If you want to dig a little bit deeper into how it all works (CSS code, Media Queries, Meta tags, etc.) I highly recommend checking out this article from Elated. Of course, a good web designer or developer should also be able to answer your questions.

Do you have experience working with responsive web design, either as a consumer or as a business owner? Let us know your thoughts and your story in the comments below.

I’ve often compared starting out as a blogger to trying to lose weight, or working out. It takes dedication, desire, perseverance, and willpower. On the surface, blogging seems simple. If it was so simple, then why do so many bloggers fail?

I’ve started blogging for new sites many many times. Before I refined my approach, I failed multiple times. Looking at each experience in a completely analytical sense gives me insight into why I failed. I’ve combined my experiences and consulted other bloggers to come up with a “top 5” list of common reasons bloggers fail.

1. Setting Expectations Too High

Probably the most common mistake new bloggers make is setting their sites too high. If you go into blogging expecting to make enough money that you can quit your day job and move your 5 person family to Panama, you’re going to get in over your head.

Back to my analogy of blogging being like losing weight, if you set your expectations too high, you’re bound to be disappointed. No one loses 100 pounds in a month, it takes time. Healthy weight loss should be done slowly over time. Blogging growth is no different. Normal organic blog growth happens slowly but surely over time.

Instead…

I’ve always found that the best attitude when you start blogging is to have high aspirations with low expectations. That sounds rather pessimistic, but it has really worked for me. By being enthusiastic and having high aspirations for my blog, I’m able to be passionate in my writing. By setting my expectations low, I’m able to devote more effort to the project over a longer period of time, without being disappointed in the results. This has given me the chance to push past the hump (the point at which most bloggers quit) and push on to bigger and better things.

You have to start small. Every mountaineer that has scaled Everest starts at the base of the mountain.

2. Creating Too Much Content

It might not seem like an issue, but creating too much content can doom your blog in more than one way.

By constantly pumping out content, you are more than likely sacrificing quality for quantity. Your posts will be subpar, and you won’t be winning any new readers. You might get luck any rank well for some long tail keywords, which could drive some traffic. Ultimately, your bounce rates will prove that your content is poor quality, and Google will put two and two together. Your rankings will suffer, and who would want to link to a content farm like that anyways?

The second reason you don’t want to produce too much content is that you’ll get burned out quickly, which could end in you quitting. Just like someone who is starting out a running program, if you try to run too much at the beginning, you’re going to get tired and frustrated. It’s better to ease into a routine. Consistently publishing content is a better approach than flooding your blog with content.

Instead…

Pace yourself. Set a blogging schedule that doesn’t interfere with the rest of your daily activities (like eating and sleeping). There is nothing wrong with writing a few blog posts a month.

Blogging can be a great way to drive traffic to your site. It might seem as though the more content you have, the more traffic you get, but this isn’t necessarily the case. Always remember that quality trumps quantity. One excellent blog post per month will always be better than 10 poor posts.

After you add good content, it’s time to do Linkbuilding. This is intended to make your blog good on SERP and can increase the keywords you want to target. If you are not familiar with this method, there are several services that can do it.

3. Monetizing From the Get Go

No one likes to see a blog with advertisements plastered in the header, footer, and sidebar. It’s a turn off for potential readers, and gives off cheap vibes.

It’s not uncommon for bloggers to monetize their blog. Lots of bloggers make a living form their websites and the services they offer. There is nothing wrong with making money online. What will cause you to fail is building a website or a blog with the soul purpose of putting ads in the footer to make a quick buck. That just won’t work.

Instead…

Make your first priority something other than making money. Start blogging because you want to become an author, or because you want to stake your claim as an authority in your niche. Do not start your blog to make money – it just won’t work.

4. Being Unoriginal

Another reason that bloggers fail is because they are completely void of unoriginal concepts. Being a successful blogger is not easy, and you’ll have to constantly come up with new and unique ideas to keep your blog interesting to readers.

When bloggers run out of ideas, they’ll look to their industry influencers for ideas. Is there any blogger out there who can claim that they haven’t partially or completely copied an idea from another writer? Probably not. It’s inevitable that content will get duplicated and rewritten, but problems arise when a blog is based on this concept. Blogs need unique content to thrive.

Instead…

It’s easier said than done to come up with unique content for every single post. The reality is, that nearly everything you write will be influenced by something that has already been written. The key is to take your own unique spin on the topic, so while the subject matter itself might not be something fresh and new, but your take on it will be.

5. Giving Up

Giving up on blogging is the easy way out. It’s easy to give up on your site because it’s not producing results, or because it’s not gaining the traction that you’d hoped.

I’ve described to other bloggers before the proverbial “hump” that bloggers must get over before they’ll see nice results on their site. The hump I’m referring to is strictly based on site traffic. When a brand new site launches with no little to no fanfare, traffic will be slow going for a long time. Many bloggers get frustrated and give up.

Instead…

Don’t get discouraged by small traffic numbers! Every blog goes through this in the beginning (unless you have an unlimited budget), and the best blogs are the ones that stick it out. Most bloggers quit before they get over the hump.

Once your blog starts to get noticed in your industry, you’ll start to get more and more attention from other bloggers in the form of links and social mentions. Search engines will follow, and your traffic will increase. Most bloggers don’t make it to this point because they give up before their traffic hopes and dreams are realized.

Final Thoughts

Having high aspirations and low expectations will set you up for success, but will be less painful if your project fails. This is blogging we’re talking about here, not launching a new clothes line. We don’t need to “visualize our success” and set our expectations sky high – we need to temper them. If you’re starting out as a blogger, do so as a hobby. If you approach it expecting nothing in return, you’ll get back more than you ever thought possible.

Pace yourself when you publish content. Too much content too quickly will burn you out. Burnt out writers produce poor content, and readers will start to ignore you. Set up a publishing calendar, and make a commitment to publish a handful of high quality posts each month. If you have time for more, go for it!

Never start a blog with the sole purpose of generating income from your website – monetizing your blog should always take a backseat to your mission. What is the real reason you wanted to start a blog in the first place? Tell your story, and teach others. If you happen to get some ad revenue along the way, consider that a bonus.

Don’t copy others content verbatim, instead gain inspiration from other authors, and put your own unique spin on a topic that’s been written about before.

And finally – don’t give up. Your blogs growth will be slow going at first, don’t get discouraged! Keep plugging away until you get over the hump, and you’ll never look back!

Finding quality images for your website or blog is one thing, but finding quality images that are also free is an entirely different conversation, especially if you don’t want to be sued.

The sad truth is that if you are using images that you don’t own, and are not following the license associated with that image, you are walking a fine and dangerous line. I’ve heard horror stories from a few bloggers who were sued because they used an image without paying for it, sometimes on a blog post that was several years old. They pursued several avenues, but ultimately ended up forking over the fine. It’s a hard lesson to learn, and one that I hope you never have to go through.

So, to help you on your journey to find free, high quality images; here is a list of 10 fresh sites that provide just that. Each site is unique and some have different terms. Make sure you always research an images license before using it, and when in doubt, provide credit!

1. Unsplash

Unsplash is perhaps my favorite on this list. The quality of the photos is extremely impressive, and I would have otherwise expected to pay for these images. The images to choose from range from landscapes, architecture, technology, wildlife and much more. Each photo is obviously the product of a talented photographer, and we get to reap the benefits!

Unsplash is 100%. You can literally take the images and do whatever you want with them, no questions asked. This is as good as it gets. Unsplash provides 10 new photos every 10 days. I only wish there was more sites like this!

2. Gratisography

Gratisography is a project by Ryan McGuire that has some really nice photos that are completely free of copyright restrictions. New photos are added each week.

3. Little Visuals

Little Visuals is an ironic name, as this site gives you some massive images. I’m talking 5000 pixels and wider. It looks like they stick with nature and wildlife themed photos, but all the images are very high quality. Little Visuals provides 7 new images every 7 days (although I don’t believe they’ve updated the site in a while). Subscribe with your email address to get the images sent to your inbox.

Little Visuals uses the Creative Commons license, and allows you to use the images in any way you want.

4. PicJumbo

PicJumbo is a newer free photo site, but it’s just as good as the others. Images are free to download and do with as you please, restriction free. New images are added daily, so make sure you check back frequently!

5. MorqueFile

MorgueFile is a larger site, and does offer paid images from iStock and others, but there are lots of quality free photoes. The MorgueFile license allows you to copy, distribute, transmit the work and to adapt the work, without attribution. The only thing you are prohibited from doing is using the image in a stand alone manner.

6. New Old Stock

New Old Stock is an interesting site that features…you guessed it…vintage photos. These vintage photos are from public archives and are free of any known copyright restrictions – so go nuts! This is my go-to site if I’m working on a project that needs an old time appeal.

7. WeFunction

WeFunction is a design blog written by Liam Mckay, who claims he isn’t much of a photographer, but the free images he posts are awesome. Liam posts small packs of free images that are completely and utterly restriction free. I certainly hope this is something that Liam continues!

8. SuperFamous

SuperFamous posts photos under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. You can use them in any way you’d like, you just have to provide credit. It appears to be another site that isn’t updated frequently or has been abandoned, but there is a large amount of really stunning photos. The photographer clearly likes taking pictures from planes!

9. Death to the Stock Photo

Death to the Stock Photo is a site dedicated to providing you unique and high quality photos, or exactly the opposite of what they consider a “stock” photo. Death to the Stock Photo has their own license, but what it comes down to is unlimited and unrestricted use without required attribution.

In order to take advantage of what they have to offer, you need to sign up with your email address. After doing so, you’ll get great photos emailed to you from different artists. It’s like a birthday present in your inbox.

10. Flickr

How could any free photo list be complete without mentioning Flickr? Flickr is a massive community of photographers and designers, and utilizes Creative Commons licenses, which just means you need to credit the image author, and adhere to any other limitations the author requests. Check the license for the photo before using it!

I’ve linked you to a search for “nature” images, but you can literally run any search you want, there is a nearly endless stockpile of high quality images at your disposal.

Final Thoughts

There are plenty of sites out there that offer royalty-free or Creative Commons licenses for images, but so many of these sites have the “stock” feel to them. Stock is boring, so when I look for images for a blog post or for a new project these are the sites I look to first. There are some amazing artists and photographers out there offering the fruits of their labor for free.