Why webpages look like mag pages

[Casinomeister]

Ever think of making dual versions of this site? Probably better not to have an entry page, but maybe a link up top "Switch to Flash Enhanced Site" .. and then back to "Regular HTML Site" .. something along those lines?

I've thought about this while my brain is having an oxygen rush while running a few Ks early in the morning - little Vortrans flying around - cool pops and buzzes and other neat effects.

I need to bone up on Flash again to deal with this. Perhaps this Winter I can piece something together.

[Simmo!]

I'm not a great fan of Flash but purely because you know that you wait and all you are going to get is better graphics 9 times of 10. Flash that delivers content on the other hand makes more sense but its so unlikely that i usually don't bother to hang around and wait....

On the original topic of the thread, I'd add that while magazine pages breed familiarity and i'd agree that this definately helps people feel more at ease with a site, sites like Google and Yahoo have also pushed the boundaries. Simplicity is a great thing and also people are so familiar with "directory" layouts that i think those can work well if the content is suited. Personally I'm not a fan, but i can see why people are.

[Vegasking]

Flash in an amazing tool to impress users but it needs to be used strategically to achieve your desired goals.

First of all, building a full flash site is a pure waste of time when you are serious about SEO. Search bots can not effectively index flash. This is because all the content sits inside a SWF file on your server.

Flash is an amazing tool for promotions, attracting a user’s attention to offers and basically getting your key message across. You can even content manage flash files these days. Flash is very effective when used in small areas in your site as "Content Promoters" which sits inside your original Html just like banners. This will not hamper your sites SEO rankings.

I have been part of many site testing programmes regarding usability etc. We all want to be unique and break the conventional rules of layout when building a new site but results just lead us to one thing... stick with the norm regarding navigation, content layout and branding.

If your site has a commercial objective, than you will fail to achieve any results if your user has to learn how to use your site. In many tests regarding building Casino sites I have seen click though rates dive down to nothing just because the client wanted to test an amazing navigational idea that was different from the norm. A user is not interested in an experience other than what lies in the casino software, which is why they click your banner. The object is to get them in and to download and start playing. Let them play with the games and not the site. The preview section is always a big winner regarding hits so why not beef it up with some nice flash there. Flash can make your product really seem exciting.

I can go on and on but the results have proved themselves time and time again. I for one will not want to waste a cent of my marketing budget just for trying to be different. Be different with your branding, slick design elements and great offers. There is a reason why sites are built on the same architectural foundation, because it works.

Please, you are all welcome to challenge all the boundaries, 2advanced do, but they are an experimental agency. Their focus is not on conversion rates though, they focus on user experience. They focus in connecting a user to a brand in unique ways, these are the lessons we should learn when it comes to promotion and user interaction.

One of our latest projects uses flash simply and effectively to get a message across but at the same time it does not hamper any SEO objectives or confuse the user regarding navigation.

http://www.playboycasino.com/playmate/

[dominique]

Well, I think we kind of are in the same business, but kind of not.

Many times, specifically on my site which is not all gambling oriented, I also help the player decide if they even want to go to any casino or not.

I also try to help the player pick the types of games s/he likes, teach how to best play them and point out where they are available.

Next I see my job as giving the player information that helps him/her decide which one out of lots of casinos to choose.

By the time the player comes to your casino site, if I have done a good job, the player is pre-sold, s/he knows exactly that this is the place where they want to play. They know what they want to play and why this is the proper place for them to do it.

It's now out of my hands.

Now it is YOUR job to make it easy and desireable for this player to deposit and play. When I generate lots of clicks and downloads, and few deposits, I blame you.

I don't see how a movie about playgirls is going to make my player deposit - it may make him horny and walk to another room to pursue another activity. I don't know of anyone doing that while depositing and gambling. But that is the branding the casino chose, not you I assume.

I expect a casino front to do two things, and two things only - encourage downloads and encourage deposits. Make these super easy. And fast. And inviting.

If the casino front fails to do that, I will have wasted a whole lot of time and money, and I will likely decide that for some reason players just don't like this casino and place it someplace out of the way on my site.

[Vegasking]

I don't see how a movie about playgirls is going to make my player deposit - it may make him horny and walk to another room to pursue another activity. I don't know of anyone doing that while depositing and gambling. But that is the branding the casino chose, not you I assume.

LOL, that was really funny, but I just used that site to illustrate what i was saying regarding using flash elelments. Of course the design was client specific but I enjoyed your comment though.

[dominique]

Do you design portals too?

Do you have any examples of portals?

[Vegasking]

I will send you some links to our portals soon. We are just about finished developing our portals with a very powerful tracking and content managment system.

I look forward to your input...