What are the most common web design mistakes made by small businesses?

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Too Much Going On

It is important for businesses to portray relevant information on their site. Otherwise, when visitors cannot decipher what a website is all about, they will leave immediately after landing on the site. However, this causes small businesses to cram a lot above the fold. The fold is just a myth and it is not a good idea to have a crowded website. When a website has lots of text, images and so much going on, it will take time to load plus it will let visitors be confused. So, small businesses should inform their Columbus website designers that they do no want busy designs.

Too Little Going On

On the other hand, websites that have almost nothing on them are the exact opposite. Minimalism is trending now and can be effective when properly done. There are a number of small businesses, though, that are too cryptic, leaving a lot to the imagination, which is a big mistake. Visitors like to know more about a business and what it can offer to them. Websites with very simple imagery and no clear direction will keep visitors wondering, which is not good at all.

Very Confusing

In between the so much and so little spectrum is the website of the confused brand. This is the site that has a wide range of images, themes, typefaces and color schemes that are not related to each other. This is due to a number of reasons. Business owners do not have a clear idea of their brand image. They like too many design templates and make the mistake of using all of them. This can also be caused by communicating numerous ideas right away, viewing their site as individual components instead of as a whole. In designing a website, there should only be one logo, one theme and one typeface used throughout other aspects of their site.

No CTA

A call to action or CTA is the gateway to businesses. It encourages visitors to perform some actions like: Click on the link. Get a coupon. Know more about the product. It is crucial that the CTA is clear in what they like visitors to do. The sites should have sufficient information regarding what visitors would get from taking action and the information they need to give. However, while some CTAs are helpful others can be annoying as well. Therefore, businesses should see to it that their CTA is concise and lets customers know what they exactly should do. Form-filling should be minimized and allow them to spend some more time on their page before the CTA appears, just like most Columbus SEO companies recommend.

Improper Use of Whitespace and Content

Content is critical to a website and marketing campaign. It lets visitors know more about businesses as well as the products/services they offer. Business owners should be careful with their choice of fonts and the way content is presented on their page.

Aside from the written content of the site, typeface shows their brand image. Therefore, it is crucial to pick a clear and attractive font. They should maximize the use of white space to let the eyes move around their site and let huge blocks of text less look intimidating. Including a lot of text in their websites is a mistake made by most people. They should break up text whenever possible and make use of visual elements to represent concepts. However, content should be constantly updated or else, consumers may think that the business no longer exists.

4 Aspects That Can Tell If This Is the Right Web Design Company for Your Needs

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They Take a Client’s Ideas into Consideration.

When business owners are experts in their industry, they are knowledgeable with their products so they have many ideas they would like to share with a web designer. No one knows their own business more than they do.

A web design company that is not open to hear what they have to say or listen to their suggestions may not be the right choice of company. Their designer should be capable of enhancing a business owner’s ideas and even perfect them before putting them into action.

They Share Their Own Ideas.

Website designers should listen to the ideas of their clients but they also need a designer who can give their own point of view to their ideas, strategies and concepts. While they know their own business, when it comes to designing their website, this needs to be created by a professional designer.

As a matter of fact, as a suggestion, they need to search for someone who is an expert in conversion-focused web design. When a company agrees with everything their clients says and does not contribute any ideas of their own, then this company is not worth the investment. They client should choose a web designer that is knowledgeable in their area of expertise to match their clients’ know-how.

Their Marketing Team has Enough Experience.

There are businesses who are contented with an ordinary website and do not plan to upgrade to make them grow. They just want their site to exist. Those who belong to this few businesses, then they will not be interesting in looking for a web design company.

For others who want their business to grow with the help of their website, it is crucial to decide on a website design company with sufficient marketing experience.

A web design company with no experienced marketing team can be likened to a Ferrari that has no engine. Though it may strike the attention of onlookers, it will not go anywhere. With the internet continuously evolving, a website needs active digital marketing to perform.

A website should not only look attractive but also be functional. Choosing a website design company complete with developers, designers and marketers will assure businesses that their website does not only look good but also gives results.

They Use Responsive Web Design (RWD)

Responsive web design is the best way to design a website nowadays. This is not only a trend but is here to stay. Google says so since it favors sites with RWD.

In some cases, using a separate mobile site may have its advantages but in general, responsive website design is the solution that is preferred by many. Since the use of mobile devices continues to grow, businesses have to make sure that their site is optimized for all types of devices.

When a web design company is not an expert in RWD or says that it is better to have a separate mobile website, then this company is outdated and will not be a good fit for businesses who like their website to help them grow even more. This will only be possible with the right digital marketing company.

 

3 Key Website Differences Between a Desktop and Mobile Device

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There is a big difference between browsing a website using a mobile device and browsing it using a desktop. Both differ in screen orientations and when it comes to mobile browsing, thumbs are used rather than a mouse or trackpad plus some tasks can be challenging or complicated. For this reason, it is crucial to design a website that can answer the needs of mobile users as well. The 3 key website components that should be distinct on mobile against desktop are as follows:

Organization of Content

Content organization is among the most complicated aspects of designing a website for mobile use. What mobile users require might be a lot different from the needs of desktop users. On the other hand, they may have similar needs but different browsing behaviors based on the device being used. In designing a website for mobile use, organizing web content should be prioritized to meet the requirements of mobile users. Content has to be arranged vertically to adjust to the narrow widths of mobile devices. A desktop comes with portrait orientations in order for content to stretch across a screen plus usually, several images or messages can comfortably be displayed in its wide space. Mobile devices are often used in portrait orientation (with their smaller screens, there is limited horizontal space even in landscape mode).

Form Filling

Marketers exert much effort to optimize web forms of companies to make the most of conversion. A web form that is poorly designed will surely kill conversion. The same is true when it comes to mobile devices. Forms have to be designed in such a way that mobile users find it easy to fill out forms. How about vertical alignment? Guess what! It also applies to forms. The same principle is followed. Mobile users find it difficult and tiring to scroll to and fro horizontally to completely fill out a form. To make it easy for mobile users to fill out forms, the web should be designed in such a way that form fields are vertically aligned.

Menu Formatting

Desktops and mobile devices differ widely when it comes to formatting menus. Mega-menus that have several categories and sub-categories are commonly seen on a desktop. Desktop users will be happy with such type of setup since their device has a very large screen , wherein they can read menu text and click with ease on text links. It is a lot different with mobile users since the screens are small and make use of (relatively) large thumbs. These things need to be considered when designing mobile menus. Therefore, these should be single-level menus that have large buttons/text as well as vertical alignment for menus that have several options.

Menus collapse on mobile devices and expand when users zoom in on a category. Though this is not a complete list of mobile website features that should be distinct from its desktop equivalent, these are considered three of the most essential features.

When designing a website it is always important to think about the needs of mobile users and the distinct ways they browse and get information. The above mentioned examples can inspire businesses to improve mobile use on their site.

If you want top results, let us take care of your Columbus website design! Our experience also recommends us for Columbus SEO services, if you need any!

Boost Your Online Business with Help from SEO Companies

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The facilities offered by the Internet are making us increasingly dependent on it. As a result we have countless sites. The Internet is estimated to have over 4.5 billion pages. This has resulted to tough competition among businesses, since everybody would like to have their site to come out on the opening page of the results thrown out by the search engines  – as it helps drawing additional traffic and the resultant sales. As most businesses are occupied with their business activities, they can’t spare time to take care of their SEO requirements. That’s how a room for SEO outsourcing got created.

When you want your website to be visible on the opening page of search engine results, the only feasible option for you is to seek professional help from a dedicated SEO consultant. Professionals providing SEO services are well informed of the strategies and techniques that go to attract visitors to your site. The more the number of people visiting your site, the better are the chances of their becoming your customers, and thus improve your sales.

If you realize that your present website is not capable of attracting sufficient quantity of visitors, you shouldn’t delay hiring services of an SEO specialist. It is important to comprehend that each search engine has in place its own rules and algorithms for ranking a website. SEO specialist know what search engines hunt for before ranking a site, and can therefore help the optimization of  a website in such a manner that search engines flaunt it on the opening page of their  results. Optimizing a website for search engines without being adequately educated on SEO techniques is certainly not everybody’s cup of tea.

SEO professionals create outstanding policies for their customers by carrying an extensive research relating to their products plus services. They not only analyze your website, but also those of your competitors for preparing effective marketing strategies suitable for your product. Before finalizing any SEO professional for your website, you should ensure that they follow white hat guidelines. You may be wondering what’s “White Hat”! In principle, white hat practices imply working in conformity to the regulations and measures defined by search engines for the purpose of Internet Marketing.

You must ask your prospective consultant how long it will take getting the expected results. Do not hesitate to ask any relevant questions that you might have. You should realize that hiring the services of the most appropriate consultant is vital for improving your business.

You could hire the services of competent Columbus SEO companies or consider having a consultant on your payrolls. That is decided by the size of your business and its requirements. Do ensure that the consultant you hire is sensitive to your requirements and can easily be accessed via phone, SMS and emails. Also do make sure that your chosen SEO professional works closely with your Columbus website designers in order to make design and SEO work together, not against each other!