Custom design or template? When creating a website, it’s one of the most fundamental decisions to make. Both options are valid, so how do you decide?
Compare this to another fundamental choice: how to make a dinner entree. Will you make your own creation from scratch or follow a recipe?
Have you typed a term into Google search on your phone recently? If so, you’re in good company – as some estimates say more than six out of every 10 Google searches are mobile. If you’ve been in the six or seven, did you find what you were looking for? Did your search results provide a link to a relevant, mobile-friendly site, one that could be viewed easily on your phone?
Google wants to ensure its mobile users are getting “friendly” results. Consequently, in 10 days the company will institute a significant change in how it ranks pages in mobile searches.
Is your site fully accessible to individuals with disabilities?
In March 2014, the U.S. Justice Department ordered subsidiaries of H&R Block to take specific actions to ensure individuals with disabilities have full access to its online information and services. The department acted in the interest of a lawsuit filed against the company in Massachusetts by the National Federation of the Blind, alleging violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Online video is a hit! It’s popularity has some sources calling YouTube the web’s “second search engine.” Then there are stats like these from a study by Animoto (described in this Search Engine Watch post):
In addition, using video on websites is frequently cited for sales conversion impacts of 80 percent on up. (Here’s a link to one such a source. )
Reading recent statistics about the value of visual content on a website brings to mind this centuries-old adage: “Seeing is believing.” Consider these stats reported on wishpond.com, for example:
A brand new year is just around the corner. Are you prepared to make the most of the 365 days it offers? We’ve collected advice from around the web and compiled it here for your consideration as you finalize plans for 2014.
1. Review your 2013 goals. Which ones did you meet? Which ones did you fail to meet despite your best intentions? What will you carry over to 2014, and what will you leave behind? Set action-based goals for the new year, assigning start-by and finish-by dates to each of them.
What makes an effective website? We polled web professionals from North Carolina and beyond to get their answers. In this post, we’re pleased to share their varied opinions on the elements and techniques for building successful sites and the future of the web.
Your website is your business card to the world and, as such, you want it to successfully portray what you do. Whatever your line of work may be, your website needs to tell site guests your story and how you can help them. This “storytelling” may be accomplished through a variety of methods – words, pictures, graphics, video, etc. – all designed to encourage people to choose your services rather than those of your competitors.
So how do you go about creating a website that successfully reaches your target audience? What elements does an effective website include? Is there a special trade secret that needs to be followed? The answers to these questions may vary depending on who you ask; a web designer, a graphics specialist and a writer will have differing points of view – all of them valid.