For as long as SEO has been around, the importance on quality content has been touted. In fact, quality content has become more and more important as the web has evolved, with Google prioritising good quality websites and articles in their results pages. Sounds straightforward, right?

Unfortunately not. Writing quality content is actually very difficult and is a refined art. It’s actually surprisingly common for people to get a web design company to create the layout and design for their website and then write the content themselves. The result is a fantastic eye-catching design and a load of stuffy content that bores the socks off people.

Would you hire a professional copywriter to create your website’s content and then quickly knock up a website layout for it in Microsoft Paint on your laptop? No, of course you wouldn’t, so don’t do it the other way round!

It could easily be argued that the content of a website is even more important than the design. After all, people aren’t coming to your website to look at your colour scheme or menu design; they’re coming for your content. They want to know how you can solve their problems and offer them what they want, why they should choose you and how they can get in touch with you.

You should, at all costs avoid:

• Content that’s been generated automatically
• Pages with very little content (under 350 words, generally) or unoriginal content
• Hidden text
• Content that has appeared elsewhere on the web

These are the biggest no-nos in creating website content. Put it this way: Google will know if you’re trying to be sneaky. Doing things the right way will always get you the best results. And it’ll allow you to sleep at night.

Above all, your content needs to be readable. In other words, sentences such as ‘Our innovative team of executives is experienced in providing corporate redistribution solutions to the expanding global marketplace’. *Snore* Put some life into it! Show that an actual person has written the text! (Look at that paragraph there for an example.)

People’s attention spans on the web are extraordinarily limited. They won’t read websites in the same way they read newspapers or letters. They’ll just disappear off elsewhere, to a website with far better and professionally written content.

Your focus should always be on the reader; not the search engines. If your readers love your content, search engines will follow. That’s the holy grail. Your content needs to be interesting, informative and entertaining or people just won’t want to share it. And, let’s face it, the internet is all about sharing these days. We get more and more of our online input from social media than we do from Googling our own stuff.

And remember: keeping the quality of your content as high as possible doesn’t mean getting your thesaurus out and showing off at all the big words you can use.

If you want to make sure your website’s content is professional, engaging and designed to help you get more business through your website, give us a call and speak to us about our content creation services.

Don’t worry, we’ve not lost the plot. We know it’s only the 14th of September, but the fact of the matter is that if you’ve not already got your website ready for Christmas you’re going to be losing out on business.

With the growth of online retail, consumers are getting their Christmas shopping out of the way sooner and sooner each year, preferring to get it all done so they can concentrate on the finer details of Christmas preparations closer to the time.

Consumers are shopping earlier

It’s true to say that consumers are trying to spread the cost of Christmas more and more, and November and December is an expensive time for families buying decorations, travelling to see family, ordering the Christmas turkey and all of the other expenses that come with the festive season. With most people wanting to avoid the Great December Rush, you need to have your website ready for Christmas long before November has even reared its ugly head.

The good news is that there’s still time. It’s worth pointing out at this stage that readying your website for Christmas isn’t a case of reactivating the JavaScript code that puts falling snowflakes on your homepage or popping a Christmas tree in the corner as if it’s your living room. We’re talking about a deliberate concerted effort to entice users to get their Christmas shopping done as soon as possible.

Stand apart from the competition

The competition during the run-up to Christmas is huge, so you need some way of standing apart from your competition. One of the best ways is to get in there earlier, perhaps by offering discounts for customers ordering their Christmas shopping online before the end of September or October.

Research shows that customers are likely to spend more on their Christmas shopping earlier in the year as they’ll be able to spread the cost. When it comes to December, most of the Christmas budget will have been spent on decorations, food and other miscellaneous festive items.

Make sure your website’s infrastructure is sound

The likelihood is that the hits to your website will increase over the Christmas period, so you should be sure that your server will be able to handle the load. If you’re on a shared hosting platform you’ll be sharing your server load with other retailers’ websites, too. The last thing you want is for users to be unable to access your website and to head to your competitor instead.

Likewise, if your website is not optimised for mobile viewing you’re going to be missing out on a lot of business. The majority of web browsing is now done on mobiles and a huge percentage of people buy products using their mobile phones.

If your website does not automatically adapt to the user’s device, they’re not going to waste time scrolling and zooming; they’ll go to your competitor’s more accessibly-designed website instead and give them the business. The number of people using mobile devices to buy online is growing each week and will very quickly eclipse the number of people using laptops or desktop computers, leaving you catering only for the diminishing minority.

Make it accessible

And we’re not just talking about mobile accessibility either. Accessibility in terms of payment options (credit/debit card, PayPal, Google Checkout, Bitcoin) will open up the likelihood of purchasing to more and more people. Flexibility is key online, and making the user’s purchasing journey shorter and easier is what’s going to get you their business.

The days of people being impressed by websites and the technology is, largely, over. The internet is now an everyday part of our lives and we want it to be as simple, convenient and comprehensive as we want everything else in our lives to be. Quicker, easier and more complete is the way forward and you should ensure that your website embodies those three key values.

Getting some help

If you know your website probably isn’t up to scratch for the Christmas rush, you don’t need to worry. We’re on hand to help get things ship-shape and get your website ready to ensure your business makes the most of this Christmas.

Keeping up with new design trends is an important way to show your users and potential customers that you’re a forward-thinking company who puts their users first.

That last bit is especially important, as new technologies need to be adopted sparingly and carefully in order to ensure that new users aren’t put off. Here are 6 new design trends which have become mainstream enough that most web users will be comfortable using.

1. Ghost buttons and line icons

Minimalistic iconography is big business at the moment, and has been largely spearheaded by Apple’s launch of iOS7. It uses line-based icons and graphics, usually transparent buttons and thin lines to keep things simple, lighter and with a focus on supporting additional photography and illustration. It provides a ‘flat’ interface which keeps things simple in the eyes of the end user.

2. Reduced imagery in headers and backgrounds

It used to be pretty standard for a company’s website to have a title banner across the top with a background image, on which their company name and slogan was superimposed. This is starting to die out now, with more simple design and web-based technologies taking place of these old print-based styles. Bright colour and bold typography is the way forward when it comes to focusing the eye.

3. Material design

Flat, modular design is definitely back in on the web. Clean, minimalistic layouts which use bright colours, ergonomic shapes and simple typography keep things simple for the user, allowing them to navigate your site and find information easily. This style was originally developed by Google, who describe it as being ‘grounded in tactile reality’. Engaging simplicity to enhance the user experience is the name of the game, and it’s been very successful.

4. Microinteractions

It used to be that clicking a link or button would take you to a totally different page. That’s no longer the case. Subtle interactions are the new player in town, with small animations and interactions such as those found when you accept or reject a friend request on Facebook or LinkedIn. The old request disappears and new ones replace it without you leaving the page or anything having to reload. Amazon also uses these effectively, enabling you to Subscribe & Save quickly without having to veer off on a tangent.

5. Interactive infographics

Infographics aren’t really new any more, but interactive ones certainly are. Users can engage with the information displayed and navigate their way through the ‘story’ of the infographic. This enables you to show information in a very effective way which enhances the user experience and keeps them engaged.

6. Full screen videos

This seems remarkably counterintuitive, seeing as web usability is usually focused around not forcing things on users — especially not videos, and especially not full-screen elements. But when this is done carefully, using looping images in HTML5, for example, the effect is far more sophisticated — especially if it’s integrated in a more usable way, as Apple did with their Apple Watch page. It’s not intrusive and it actually enhances the user experience.

And that’s the crux of the whole usability/technology argument: it’s not about new technologies being bad, but about using them effectively to enhance the user experience rather than interrupting it.

If you’d like to speak to us about integrating new design elements into your website in order to enhance the experience for your end users — and potential customers — give us a call to see what we could do for you.

Web technologies are moving quicker than ever, but it’s still relatively easy to keep up to speed — especially if you’re working with a web design company whose job it is to keep abreast of the latest developments.

It’s not just about embracing new technologies, either; it’s about dropping old ones which could make users disappear from your website quicker than you can say ‘animated GIF’. Here are 5 seriously outdated web trends you should not be using on your site.

1. Videos and music which autoplay

This is one of the best ways to ensure a user disappears from your website and never comes back. It’s annoying, frustrating and almost everyone switches it straight off or closes their browser. Even music-less videos or animations are confusing and annoying. Statistics show that people disappear very quickly and don’t come back, so it’s certainly not a great idea.

2. Separate ‘mobile only’ websites

When it became obvious how important mobile internet was, web designers and business owners everywhere started launching new ‘mobile only’ websites — sites which would detect you were on a mobile phone and redirect you to a different page, designed purely for mobile. The problem then is that you have two websites to maintain and update, and usually with duplicated content. This’ll get you into all sorts of trouble with the search engines and is best avoided, to say the least. Responsive design is the way forward, keeping all of your content in one place and allowing the design to respond to the user’s device.

3. Using (or overusing) Flash

Flash is certainly still around, but it’s not recommended. Apple phones and tablets, for example, can’t play it so you’ll be losing a large number of your potential visitors straightaway. Also, even desktop users often have Flash turned off (or not updated). In short, it’s a minefield and should be best avoided if possible. There are, after all, plenty of alternative (and better) technologies available.

4. Overusing image sliders

Image sliders are great in their own way, but often get ignored and can distract users. They certainly have their uses, but when they’re overused they can prove off-putting for visitors. If you’re using image sliders, leave them for your website design company to integrate rather than attempting to create your own as it’s important that accessibility is put at the forefront.

5. Showing off your new technologies

Some website owners are keen to have all the latest technologies integrated into their websites to show their users how modern they are. All this will do is confuse people, put them off and make your website bloated and take a long time to load. The result is that people will disappear very quickly and not come back. Give the user what they want, not what you want.

If you’d like to talk to us about ridding your website of dead technologies and making your website more accessible to users, give us a call.

Usability is actually a very simple concept, but it’s one that people often get so, so wrong. When people who aren’t professional web designers put a site together, the focus is far too often on the visual aesthetics rather than the underlying functionality of the site. For this reason, you can often end up with a site that looks nice enough but is actually unusable for great numbers of people.

The thing to remember is that all people are different. Just because you can use the website, or your designer or your friends can find their way around it, not everyone will be able to. Simply looking at your bounce rate in your web stats will indicate whether or not people are finding it easy to navigate your website.

It’s all about the user experience, and you need to put far, far more effort into this aspect of your website than most others. Here are some ways not to make your website accessible.

1. Confusing or dysfunctional navigation

It’s important that your site follows a hierarchical navigation structure, divided into logical sections which can be easily navigated by users. It’s all about limiting the number of things the user has to do, including mouse clicks. If a user can’t find what they’re looking for in under a minute, they’re likely to disappear off elsewhere. Orphan pages, masses of white space and a lack of search functionality will all turn off huge swathes of visitors who’ll probably never come back.

2. Setting links to open in a new window

The common view is that opening an external link in a new window will ensure that users stay on your site, at least in one browser tab. This is actually counterintuitive. If the user wants to leave the site by clicking an external link, let them. It’s all about enabling the user to find the information they want. If they don’t find it on the external link, they’ll probably hit the Back button anyway. You should never assume that your website’s so great that you shouldn’t let people away from it.

3. Clutter

There’s a fine line between limiting white space and user clicks and over-cluttering a web page to the point where the user is overwhelmed and can’t find anything anyway. White space is a good thing in moderation and should be embraced. It creates order in your page; the contrast which allows your important content to actually be seen. You know the old saying about not being able to see the wood for the trees? That applies here.

4. Use infinite scrolling sparingly

Infinite scrolling is a great way of putting all your content in one place without having to worry about loading times and clutter. After all, the extra scrolled content will only load if the user explicitly scrolls down and loads it. Brilliant, right? Not exactly. First time users won’t always know about infinite scrolling and key content certainly shouldn’t be placed ‘below the fold’ in this sense. Crowding the top half of your site, though, isn’t great either and can put first-time users off (remember that bounce rate?). For users on slower connections, too, infinite scrolling is not much fun. Use it sparingly.

5. No on-site support

You should never assume that users know how to navigate your website — or any website, for that matter. Make sure you include a help desk system, tech support or even just a simple set of FAQs. These should address problems the user may encounter on the website and should be advertised prominently, especially if you’re using some form of groundbreaking design which could confuse some users. Even just knowing the help and support is there if they need it can be enough to encourage some users to explore more fully rather than panicking.

6. Trying to move towards click-free design

This is an interesting trend, but not one which is without its problems, to say the least. Having a website respond every time you move (or stop moving) your mouse can be incredibly frustrating, especially if you’re just there to read an article or find some information. Most users don’t mind having to click (after all, they’re used to it) to confirm where they want to go. It’s far less frustrating than being taken somewhere they don’t want to go and haven’t clicked on, anyway.

As you can see, usability can be a minefield. Embracing new technologies is an exciting way of beefing up your website and keeping one step ahead of the game, but the end user should always be the one you try to please. Not everyone will be amazed by new technologies. In fact, most will just be confused. Keeping things simple is usually the best way to approach usability. Very few people surf the web to look at cool designs or funky new web technologies; most just want to find the information they’re looking for, and quickly. Give them what they want.

If you want to ensure your website is fully accessible from a usability point of view, why not give us a call? We can analyse your current design and let you know where you might be able to make some improvements, increasing your ROI and reducing your bounce rate at the same time.

It’s been mooted for some time that mobile search would soon overtake desktop search, but it has recently been confirmed that in many markets there are more Google searches being carried out on mobile devices than on desktop computers or laptops.

This might sound like just an interesting snippet of information at best, but the truth is that it has huge implications on anyone who runs a business or anyone who has a website. If more Google searches are being carried out on mobiles than on computers, more people will be finding your website on their mobile device than on their computer, which means that your website needs to display properly on these devices.

Research has shown time and time again that if your website doesn’t have a responsive design which adapts for mobile, you’re likely to be losing potential customers who won’t much like the idea of zooming in and out to find their way around a site which doesn’t adapt for their device. A growing number of sites do, and customers will tend to go to those instead — and they could be your competitors.

Web searches overall were up 5% between Q4 2013 and Q4 2014, but this rise — and more — is attributable entirely to mobile search. In fact, desktop searches dropped by over 200 million, with tablet searches up by a huge 1.3 billion and smartphone searches by a stratospheric 1.8 billon. It’s clear to see that considering mobile devices is no longer something to ‘also consider’, but should now be the main consideration.

These principles apply across the board, through to SEO and search marketing but the first step has to come with ensuring that your website has a mobile responsive design which can readily display across a range of mobile devices and tablets. If it doesn’t, you’re now potentially alienating more than 50% of your visitors and potential customers, and that number is growing every day you don’t do something about it.

We specialise in creating websites which are mobile responsive and designed to display across a range of smartphones and tablets, ensuring that your visitors and potential customers will be able to view your content and see your business as one which is at the forefront of technology, enabling them to get in contact with you and potentially become a customer. If you don’t take measures now, your potential losses will only get bigger.

When you need a new website built, it can be very tempting to go for the option which will save you time and money. Many people simply choose to install WordPress and select a pre-existing theme, perhaps customising it to their own preferences. This can have its advantages, but there are a number of reasons why you should avoid using themes at all costs.

Code bloat and page loading time
Many themes are made to look glitzy and glamorous with no thought for page loading times. They’re updated every few weeks with extra features, but this tends to mean extra code — and often bloated code. This means that your site will become slower and slower to load, and with recent studies showing that the vast majority of website users won’t wait more than 2 seconds for a website to load, this could remove huge swathes of potential customers.

Negative impacts on SEO
Themes can be disastrous for SEO, too. There are rumblings that Google will recognise large amounts of the code and see that you’re using a pre-designed theme, which will send signals that you’re not all that serious about your business. In Google’s eyes, if you were a serious player you’d be paying a web design company to create a proper site. The code bloat mentioned above can also have negative effects on your search rankings, which could spell disaster for your online marketing plans.

Inconsistency in design
A design needs to be balanced to suit your brand and style, as well as your content and the function your website is meant to serve. Simply using a template or theme means that you’re using a design which hasn’t been created for you or your business, which will result in confusion amongst customers and a sense that somehow your website doesn’t quite fit your business. Anything which makes a potential customer feel uneasy when on your website is a very bad idea; you want your customers to feel safe and that they can trust you and your company, else they’ll go to a competitor instead.

Third party reliance
If you’re using a theme created by a third party and simply customising it for your own purposes, you run a number of risks. Firstly, you don’t know who’s created the code and there’s a chance there could be security flaws which could put your business and your customers at risk. Then there’s the reliance you have on the original theme designer (who’ll you’ll likely never have met or spoken to) to update the design around new developments. Only a direct working relationship with a proper web design company will allow you to have that safety with regards to security and future support.

Things to ask your web design company
You might be tempted to think that using a professional web design company will automatically mean that you’ll have a website designed from the ground up and that there won’t be any themes or templates anywhere near your site. Unfortunately, you’d often be wrong.

There are a number of web design companies who try to save time and money by simply taking themes and templates and customising them (sometimes so much that you wouldn’t know at first glance) rather than building you a custom website design. Needless to say, this can have negative impacts on your business and you’d often be just as well off installing a template yourself and saving even more money. Of course, saving money isn’t always the best way to go about things.

A custom website design is the only way to ensure good loading times, adherence to SEO best practice and a truly unique design which will serve you and your business well for years to come.

Online marketing is the biggest generator of business for the vast majority of sectors. Most people these days go straight to Google or another online resource to find a product or service. Gone are the days of the Yellow Pages, so what can you do to boost your chances of generating new business through the web? Here are 5 ways in which you can improve your online marketing efforts.

1. Social Media Marketing

With more than 2 billion people using social media around the world, this is one of the biggest arenas in which you can advertise your business. Facebook alone has nearly 1.4 billion users and advertising revenues have risen enormously on the site, with mobile advertising being a particularly heavily growing sector.

2. Backlinks

Ever since Google first launched, backlinks have been at the core of its algorithm. This is still the case — and arguably even more so since recent algorithm updates — but in a slightly different way to the past. Quality links (as opposed to quantity) are vital, as well as guest blogging efforts, diverse anchor text and tying in your linkbuilding with social media efforts. Keeping it natural and steady is always the best way.

3. Response, Mobile-Ready Design

Responsive design is vital in the modern marketplace. A staggering 1.9 billion searches will be carried out on smartphones in 2015, which means it will overtake desktop PC and laptop searches for the first time. In fact, 4 out of 5 consumers currently shop regularly on their smartphones, so mobile responsiveness is absolutely vital if you’re going to take advantage of the way the online world is changing.

Most people won’t buy from a site which doesn’t respond and adapt to mobile usage — that’s a fact and stat which becomes more and more prevalent all the time, with mobile users wanting a faster, more streamlined experience. Mobile ready websites convert much better than other sites, too, meaning the result will be a huge increase in business. It’ll also help boost your SEO, with Google loving mobile-ready sites.

4. Marketing Your Content

The web is all about content. You need to ensure your website contains quality content which can be readily shared. Keeping content regular and enticing will ensure people are more likely to share it and effectively do the job of marketing for you. Content doesn’t just cover text, either, but images, events, video, infographics, reports, eBooks and more.

5. Plan Ahead, Create a Strategy

A lot of people treat their SEO efforts as something they can do every now and again, perhaps building a few links or putting a video on YouTube. The fact is that you need a plan, a strategy, to enable you to structure your online marketing efforts and tracking your success. That way, you’ll know what works for you and can tailor your strategy to ensure that you’re able to build on your success as you move forward and continue to get bigger and bigger gains from online marketing.