Within a year or two, more people will be viewing websites on their smartphones than on their laptop or desktop computer. Tablets are also beginning to zoom in popularity.
What this means is that the website that is carefully crafted to look amazing on a wide screen soon won’t be seen that way most of the time. Instead, most viewers will see a “miniaturized” form of the site — one they’ll have to pinch and zoom to read. Continue reading
QR (short for “quick response”) codes are 2D barcodes that can be scanned and read by smart phones. Once scanned the phone’s web browser is directed to a website, without the user having to type a URL.
You’ve probably seen the boxy, black-and-white images in advertisements, on paper cups of coffee, on the sides of buses and elsewhere; they are an established marketing tool for large, national businesses. For example, a QR code on a Starbucks cup of coffee might bring smartphone users to the company’s website for a special coupon.
Can QR codes be used effectively by small businesses? Continue reading
If your website traffic is OK but your bounce rate is high (people are not staying on your site but are clicking away quickly), look at ways to engage your visitors. Continue reading
As web developers working with mostly business clients on either new websites or redesigns, this is what we see:
Our clients are very concerned with what their website will look like. They often show us examples of other websites that they like and things they don’t like. They might have a specific color scheme in mind and ideas for graphics. We go back and forth a few times with mockups before a design is settled on.
Likewise, our clients are usually aware that their website should be correctly optimized for search engines. They often know something about keywords and are prepared to do a lot of thinking about them.
What our clients are less prepared for is giving a good amount of thought to the content that will form the actual meat of their site. The result is that the content is usually hastily cobbled together at the last minute. The website launch is often delayed while the content is frantically worked on. Continue reading
Google estimates that 20% of all web searches are local searches — searches by people who are looking for information on products and services available in their immediate geographical area. And local searches will continue to grow along with the growth in mobile devices such as the iPhone and Android. Continue reading
You might think that a blog is not right for your company, that it’s a type of communication that is too personal or informal. But a “diary” is only one type of blogging format. Businesses these days are getting a lot of mileage out of informational blogs that expand on the services they offer their customers. This type of blog can add a new dimension to your web site and also be a powerful tool for marketing and promotion. Continue reading
You’ve decided to build (or re-build) your company website using the free, open-source software known as WordPress, in order to take advantage of the content management and blogging features it provides. This is a great choice! (See WordPress For Your Business Web Site.)
WordPress, however, is not ready to go “out of the box.” Continue reading
Most business owners know that a customer-centric focus is essential to their success. They must know their customer – be able to think like them, feel like them. But when it comes to the company website, this focus is often lost.
Take a look at your site and see how it measures up to customer-centric ideals: Continue reading
With the advent of Twitter, Facebook, and real-time information sharing, people are talking online as much as they talk in person. How will you know if they’re talking about you or your business? How will you know what they’re saying, so you can respond if necessary? Fortunately, there are a number of ways to monitor almost every part of the web including blogs, forums, websites, video sites, user/blog comments and other social sites. Many of the following services are free; some (more comprehensive solutions) come with a price tag. Continue reading
The New Year is a good time to review your web site and make sure it is working…and working for you! Run through all the items below yourself, or ask your web developer to take care of them for you. Continue reading