In the days when the internet was new and exciting, most users were prepared to spend time trying to find their way around websites with poor navigation and slow loading times because they were amazed by this novel technology that only a few years before would have been considered the work of science fiction.

It’s a different story today though; users are now far more knowledgeable and confident and with it has come higher expectations of websites in general but even more so when they are viewing them on their smartphones and because they are an ‘on the move’ audience, they no longer have the time or the inclination to have to scroll down too far or be made to scroll sideways.

They expect navigation to be an extremely simple affair; they look for and only read information pertinent to them: anything else is just superfluous and a waste of effort. Users also tend to favour shorter search phrases for mobile and many prefer predictive search which is a good enough reason to try and ensure your keywords and search phrases are amongst the most popular ones.

When it comes to performing any action on their mobiles, asking users to enter anything other than an email address is generally way too much trouble for them so things like forms for example are best designed so users can choose their answers from an option menu which significantly minimizes user input and anything that achieves that will certainly be appreciated by users themselves.

Speed is a big part of the internet; users are only happy when websites load instantly and navigation takes little or no time at all and everything else functions quickly, and they expect all this to happen with the minimum of effort on their part, and because they are consumers as well as users, it’s up to businesses to meet those expectations if they want to remain competitive.

Until next time.

Ideally, sitemaps should be linked to every page of your website which will aid search engines when it comes to indexing but only as long as all your links are working correctly. Broken links will weaken the effect of a sitemap and result in search engines indexing only a few pages instead of the whole site.

If your website contains hidden or archived pages then a sitemap should ensure that search engine bots will still reach them even if your internal link structure isn’t fully up to scratch, however, whether you have a sitemap or not, broken or faulty links should always be repaired as soon as possible as matter of course anyway. 

Aside from the SEO aspect, sitemaps are organised so every page title can be easily found at a glance and allow visitors a much smoother ride in terms of navigation especially on larger sites which consequently will make them much less likely to leave in frustration because they can’t find what they want. 

As with all business websites, owners need to use every means at their disposal to get the best out of them in order to remain competitive and keep their websites visible to search engines, and any businesses not currently using a sitemap should have a word with their web designers to find out what further benefits they can offer.

Until next time.

Blogging is not only a good way of keeping readers and customers up to date with what’s happening in their particular industries; they also keep search engines happy by providing streams of fresh content for them to index which consequently means showing up in more searches and extending website reach.

For a blog to be truly effective though, new content should be added on a fairly regular basis and although the posting frequency is entirely down to you as the business owner, it will obviously depend on the time you have available and whether or not you’ve got something worth saying.

There are various blogging platforms around with WordPress and Blogger being amongst the most popular. Both are free and can even be set up to publish pre-loaded posts on designated days. Comment boxes enable readers to respond to your posts which a great way of developing a dialogue-based relationship with your readers.

Most if not all blogging platforms can be customised which means you can maintain a consistent theme between your blog and your business website by incorporating your company colours and logo; something which shouldn’t be a problem even for those with no web design experience.

As long as you don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can just start a blog then sit back and wait for something to happen they can work wonders for businesses but they do need to be maintained and unfortunately, time is often the enemy for busy entrepreneurs and quite often and understandably their blogs have to take second place to more pressing business matters.

One possible solution is to make use of guest bloggers when you don’t have the time to do it yourself. Friends, business associates, family members or others in the same industry might well be willing to give it a go and could add something just a little different to the mix. The main point however you choose to manage it is to keep posting new and informative content that will make readers interested enough to return to your blog on a regular basis.    

Until next time.

The internet is a visual medium and inevitably, web designers will want to show off their creative skills which sometimes lead to websites being more about what the designer wants as opposed to what their customers need and although the site should be visually pleasing, it should also instantly tell visitors what it does without them having to guess or hunt for clues.

The primary purpose of all business websites is to advertise, build brand awareness, inform visitors and persuade them to take a particular course of action such as contacting the company or purchasing directly through the website itself, and whilst most manage to do this quite well, there are others that fail dismally.  

To be truly effective, a visitor should know exactly what a website is for the moment they arrive on the landing page, and with only valuable seconds to capture a visitor’s attention, it’s important that those seconds aren’t wasted by through the use of Flash intros for example which tend to drive away a significant number of visitors well before any intro has fully loaded.

Highly creative features do have their place in web design but functionality should always be the priority with prominent menus on every page, easy navigation, concise copy and the site rendering perfectly in different browsers being just a few examples. As I said, the internet is mostly a visual medium and so evolves with the use of ever better eye-catching design, but this must never be at the expense of functionality.

Until next time. 

Generally, websites can attain higher search engine rankings through good SEO practices and blogs but as good as they are they are no longer enough on their own because reaching wider audiences is now better and more quickly achieved by creating a company page on social media sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Social media is all about sharing information with others which although is often just general chit-chat amongst friends and family etc, also works extremely well for business exposure providing users like what they see and recommend to others.

Linking your website to social media allows interaction with users who even though they themselves may not be interested in what you have to offer might know others who are and if you are inventive with content you could benefit from a significant increase in exposure and a higher awareness of your products or services rather than relying on potential customers finding you via search engines alone.

Take a look at any number of websites and more often than not there’s a social media button to found on their pages and your web design company will no doubt be happy to place any number of social media buttons on your website if you ask them. However, if you already use social media as part of your marketing strategy but don’t have a button on your website you could be losing out because you need to let visitors know where to find you and be able to get them there in a click of the mouse.

Whether you are a fan or not, social media is practically everywhere. Even television adverts are inviting us to follow on Facebook/Twitter etc and it seems now that if your website has no connection to social media then you’re all but invisible to a large potential market.

It’s fairly safe to say that marketing through social media is now all but a necessity in order to keep up with the competition, and those businesses not currently doing so are putting themselves at a disadvantage and missing out on what has become one of the most effective marketing channels in recent years.

Until next time.

Regardless of how good the web design itself, the importance of good, strong calls to action shouldn’t be underestimated because apart from instructing visitors what you would like them to do next, they can also be what persuades a visitor to complete the buying process rather than think about abandoning it.

I mentioned good and strong because there are some examples around that are rather weak, especially where the word ‘if’ is present. ‘If’ suggests that a visitor can have a good think about it and complete the action in their own good time and which helps to fuel their natural tendency to hesitate. I have seen this example before.

‘Please contact us if you are interested in our new range’.

A call to action should be firmly but politely worded and better still, convey a sense of urgency, such as;

‘You simply can’t afford to miss this great new offer – don’t delay – call us now!’

This call to action not only tells visitors they will lose out if they don’t take you up on the offer, it’s also giving them a positive command to respond immediately and not put the decision on hold.

In addition to being firm and persuasive, calls to action should also make it extremely clear to visitors exactly what it is they should do as well as informing them what they can expect as a result, for example:

‘Click here to instantly download your unique discount code!’

Or

‘Click here to enter our free draw!’

Although using the words ‘click here’ as a link is often common practice, a prominent coloured button would probably have a better effect as a visitor’s eyes will spot it almost immediately and many will likely want to find out what they can expect if they click on it and so will take the time to read the preceding copy and of course the call to action itself.

Finally, it’s also worth remembering to include more than one call to action on the website but give consideration as to exactly how many and especially where they are placed. Too many will disrupt a visitor’s browsing and distract their attention away from the site’s main message which will ultimately render them all but useless.

If done correctly, a call to action can be one of the most powerful elements of website copy; words that can compel visitors to do what you want them to do or direct them to where you want them to go and it’s down to you to persuade them to do just that.

Until next time.

Most if not all web design companies offer a website auditing service, and amongst the areas under scrutiny will be copy, graphics, keywords, usability and calls to action, and even if you think your website is doing ok, an audit might still identify areas where tweaks and improvements could be made.

Old and outdated copy is one of the main offenders but probably the quickest and easiest one to remedy. New content added even on a semi-regular basis plus keywords and search phrases in the right proportions will be enough to keep the search engines happy.

Surprisingly, graphics, despite being an important element are often overlooked even though they will be the first thing that a visitor’s eyes will land on when they enter a website. Images should relate to products or services, but many businesses that change or diversify over time fail to update their website images accordingly; something which also makes a website look rather jaded.

The vast choice of businesses on the web means that good usability is a must if you want to keep visitors on your site because any difficulties regarding finding information or navigating the site itself will see them leave and look elsewhere.

Strong and compelling calls to action should drive visitors to the final stage of the buying process – the checkout – and if your calls to action aren’t doing this to at least an acceptable level then it’s time to review them and make some changes.

A website audit will actually cover far more than has been mentioned here and probably throw up some eye-opening results into the bargain. Whatever problems are found can all be put right but the best way to avoid them stacking up anyway is to have your website audited about once every six months.

Until next time.

Favicon is a shortening of ‘favourite icon’ and generally appear next to the name of websites on a user’s favourites list, a web page address bar and in page titles where browsers have tabbed browsing.

Visitors looking at their bookmarks will often locate the website they want by recognising its favicon before the site’s name or description. The favicon can be anything from a logo to a single initial letter from a company’s name or even a design based just on corporate colours, but whatever is chosen must be readable and clear to users.

As with any form of brand building, constant marketing and exposure to a logo or a company motto or phrase stays with us, so every time we spot a better known logo such as four overlapping circles on a car’s radiator grill we instantly recall certain information that we’ve subconsciously retained as a result of all that brand exposure. We know it’s an Audi; we know it’s a German car; we know they are extremely well engineered; we tend to equate them with quality and we often consider them to be quite expensive. 

No words, just symbols but a staggering amount of information instantly recalled just by looking at a logo: that is powerful branding achieved through clever advertising and long term exposure.

There’s no denying that building a brand takes time but you have to start somewhere and although favicons are very small, they still work from a recognition perspective and are actually ideally sized for where they are placed.

I doubt that businesses not using favicons are at any major disadvantage but including them would not only add that little finishing touch to their websites but offer another simple and inexpensive opportunity to get their brand out there. Contact your web design company for more information.

Until next time.

Many website visitors will undoubtedly notice the images before anything else and a blurred or wrongly sized image will often send them scurrying away because not only do they look unsightly and unprofessional; they are also saying to visitors that the business shows a lack of care and attention. Today’s visitors have high demands and expectations from websites and won’t tolerate second rate or slap-dash efforts: they simply move on to a competitor’s website.

Sharp, clear images will do more than just look good on your site, especially when accompanied by well written copy but they should also directly relate to your products or services and not make visitors have to think what it’s all about. Being ultra creative has its place and can work at times but visitors don’t want to spend time working out the link between the images and what you have to offer.

Website loading times play a vital role in deciding whether visitors actually arrive on a site, and as great as they may be, images that are too large should be avoided as they will slow down loading time and consequently deter visitors from going any further into a website. So the rule of thumb is small and optimised to ensure the fastest possible loading time.

Unless illustrating multiple items or products like sites such as Ebay does for example, images are more effective when used sparingly. Overdoing the number of images won’t do anything to enhance a website regardless of how high their quality or appeal. Instead, there should always be an even image-to-text ratio to ensure a good balance that works for visitors and not against them: something your web designer will be able to advise you on.

 Until next time.

CMS is designed to be extremely user-friendly and users should have no difficulty changing elements such as images for example as well as written content. There isn’t even the need for them to know anything about web design to operate a CMS because all the hard work has been done for them, and they might even discover a creative side as they become more familiar and comfortable with CMS’s extensive features and capabilities. 

Content management systems are suitable for just about any online business, but really come into their own for companies with a rapid turnover of stock or those where information changes on a regular basis: these types of businesses simply can’t afford to wait for web designers to make the required changes, but that said, any type or size of business investing in a CMS could find it quickly becomes an indispensible part of their online operations. 

Businesses that rely on their web designers to make regular content changes to their websites are now doing things in a rather old fashioned way and should really be considering a CMS if only to make significant savings in time alone, so if you are one of these companies that hasn’t embraced CMS yet but would like to know more, then all it takes is a call to your web designer.

Until next time.