The Mobile Revolution is Happening - Is Your Website Ready?

Google, YouTube, Shopify, and many other major platforms are reporting that at least 50 percent of their traffic comes from mobile devices. It only make sense, as we live in a day where our phones are always just a finger tip away at all times. But with that stated, is your website truly optimized to receive this traffic? Or are you simply missing out?

As of April 21, 2015, Google incorporated “mobile friendliness” to its mobile search rankings criteria. Also, since a first page ranking statistically receives over 90 percent of all organic traffic, you want to make sure you are not taking a hit in the mobile search rankings because you don’t meet their simple prerequisites. To ensure your website is ready to take advantage of every opportunity, here are a few key steps that must be implemented with the creation of mobile website.

Listen to Google

As the search engine leader for the better part of two decades, when Google gives advice on how to make your site more visible — you’d be wise to pay attention. When it comes to the list that Google has put together for developers to follow, having a responsive website design is listed number one. A responsive design allows a website to automatically resize to correctly fit the viewer’s device, whether it be desktop, tablet, or phone. Without a responsive web design, your sight may look great on your desktop, but when a customer views it on a tablet or smartphone, the dimensions could be so far off it forces users to leave your site and search for the information elsewhere. You must check both your desktop and mobile version to ensure all of your content is actually accessible.

Out of Order

Now more than ever, search engines are putting user experience at the forefront in their rankings criteria. If you have videos on your site, make sure they are playing on the mobile version of your site. They might be working perfectly on your desktop, but could show an error on your mobile version. This problem can be often found with YouTube videos that have unauthorized third party music. A removal of the song or, in some cases, having YouTube review the video under “fair use under copyright law” can have your video back up and running in no time.

Another problem that can penalize your site is faulty redirects. A common example of this is when users are redirected to your mobile home page … no matter what page they originally tried to visit. If you log on to your contact page, and it automatically sends you to your home page, and you know you have a contact page created, you probably have a redirect issue. So as silly as it may sound, make sure all of your mobile pages are directing to correct URLs.

Speed Kills

You are running through your checklist and your site is up, it looks good, and hosts a wealth of information …  you think everything is all set. Right? With that stated, have you checked how fast your site is running? If you have a slow page load time, your site is as good as dead. KissMetrics.com, a popular analytics blog, breaks it down quite clearly, “A [one] second delay in page response can result in a 7 percent reduction in conversions.” So every second really does count. Being able to pick up a smartphone and immediately have a search result appear is a big part in having a smartphone in the first place. If your mobile site can’t deliver quickly, it may be left in the past. Large images, a slow server, and bulky code are a few items that may need to be addressed.

Caveat Emptor

Lastly, beware. Don’t entrust your website to just anyone. Any person with Dreamweaver or a little WordPress knowledge can build you a website. Make sure before you contract someone to build or rebuild your site there is a clear path on how it will be optimized for mobile use. If they are using too many buzzwords, ask them to break it down so you can truly understand. This is a good way of seeing how knowledgeable and helpful they are versus those who simply are flying by what they’ve been able to pull from a YouTube How-To video. If they do not hit the first three points on this list, then they might not be the right designer for the job.

If you are looking to build a better web site, or need help with inbound marketing or advertising at any level, contact Think Agency today.

Craft Your Website To Engage Customers

Millions of websites are viewed by thousands per day, but not too many stay on a website for over 30 seconds. When a customer visits a particular webpage and leaves the site after 30 seconds, that website’s bounce rate increases. This could be due to many factors. We have narrowed down a short checklist for you to cover when crafting the perfect website for your company.

Responsiveness counts.

If your site isn’t already responsive, you need a new design, as this is the main concern pertaining to websites in general, even over aesthetic appeal! Make sure your website is sized for viewing on multiple devices: mobile use, tablet use, computer use for both large and small monitors and even for viewing on a watch. Budget this into your marketing financials to monitor SEO performance and make changes along the way for maximum optimized viewing.

Keep it simple.

Make sure whoever is visiting your website, whether a savvy 16-year-old or your grandmother, anyone should be able to get to where he or she wants to go in only three clicks of the mouse.

Ghost buttons to envy.

Ghost buttons provide a minimal and classy look to keys or switches placed over images, content, or a blank section of your website. Ghost buttons are also an amazing call-to-action piece, drawing in both customers and outside designers. Not to mention the speed of your website will experience an increase in speed!

Typography matters.

Think nobody notices what font you use? Wrong. If you select an ugly font, customers will notice right away. Even if customers do not have an automatic reaction to your font choice, their subconscious will because fonts form an emphasis on what your company represents value and ethics wise. If you already know ‘content is king’ this will be no surprise to you.

Design defines.

Overall, your company will be based on its overall visual appearance. Flat designs started to trend in 2014 and continue to have momentum through mid-2015. This is due to how we consume content and our need for less is more. By taking on the minimalist approach, your customers will spend more time on your website and be more inclined to share your website with others.

Tip: Our website actually uses a flat design for example!

Make sure everything works well on your website, that there are no broken links or faulty images. Your website speaks volumes and taking the little time to update once, if not twice, a year, along with continually providing new content and call-to-action pieces will drop your bounce rate and attract new clients. Take care of your website so it can take care of your company.

Three Habits of Successful and Happy Professionals

Getting tied down by the burdens in our daily lives, especially when we ignore the opportunities to file away stresses as they arise, will eventually push you past your breaking point and over the edge. The little things accumulate until we self-inflict ourselves to the point of panic attacks or hitting up Happy Hour regularly after work hours. This is not how life should be lead. Happiness is a choice, not to say an easy choice, but an attainable choice for anyone if he or she actually wants to smile.

Try doing the following on a weekly basis, aim to be consistent for a month to start your lifestyle change, and we can guarantee you will be not only a happier person, but a happier person with a lot more energy! 

Enjoy Your Weekends

Instead of spending your time cleaning, doing laundry, or other chores, try to complete these chores during the week for personal freedom on the weekends. Think of it this way, there are five weeknights to separate tasks … dust one night, vacuum the next, with one load of laundry each night, and voila! Freedom at last to do whatever you please for two entire days!

Be Active

An active life is a happy life … and that’s a fact! Dopamine (the chemical substance that plays a large role in happiness) depletes as we age and it becomes more pertinent that we exercise regularly. Exercise will increase the volume of Dopamine in your body, making you less stressed, more energized, boost your confidence and ease anxiety.

Often, people are discouraged by the thought of “working out” because, well, it is indeed work. If the gym isn’t your thing, partake in a less labor some activity like hiking, swimming, or play a sport. The point is to move around and get your blood pumping.

Create Your Schedule

People who routinely make it a point to get to bed at a decent time, wake up early, spend time with loved ones, and don’t work more than you have to are proven to live happier lives. People who get enough sleep are less affected by negative emotions, making them less sensitive while also improving focus and productivity. People that surround themselves with good company have more opportunities for laughter and people that close an excel file until tomorrow have more time for themselves.

Overall, being happy boils down to a healthy lifestyle. Eating well, getting enough sleep, staying active, focusing on what needs to be done to be productive by eliminating interruptions and creative killers is something we have been taught since elementary school or even prior. These are not hard to accomplish if you try; eventually, second nature will take hold and old habits will die easier than you think.

Society Fooled By Adobe's Photoshop

Society stresses the over-use of Photoshop, a photo-editing program by Adobe, on public figures, claiming the program blurs the line of what is real and what is fake.

Photos streaming the Internet community make headlines every time a celebrity’s unedited photos get leaked. Companies release campaigns that get bashed by the public for being ‘too Photoshopped’. The truly blurred lines between Photoshop and reality debuts from misguided truths of what is actually touched-up and what is not.

Photoshop is a post-production tool used to correct minor flaws and not for sole creation alone. Advertisements displayed across the inner beginning pages of Vogue Magazine are seen as flawless, making the viewer questions its authenticity. In March of 2013, L’Oreal “permanently discontinued” a set of mascara campaign advertisements due to claims of excessive Photoshop. But what goes into that L’Oreal headshot alone?

To start an advertising campaign, the company selects a model or celebrity to represent the brand or product. Usually the model already has close to flawless skin. Liquid makeup is placed on the models skin for an overall smooth base of foundation. Then a professional makeup artist applies high-quality makeup exclusive to specialists in the industry. After all of this is said and done, the photo shoot takes place and the photographer will then retouch the images to remove flyaway strands of hair, control light (if need be), and other small errors that would take the reader’s eye away from the brand or product.

The public is overly misled by how Photoshop works, what its purpose is, and who uses Photoshop. When it is even being used the statement, “it’s too Photoshopped,” has become a regularly occurrence. The photo shoot was probably a full-day production, with numerous salaries at work and endless light changes.

This year marks Photoshop’s 25^th birthday with the Alex Amado, Adobe’s senior director of creative and media, claiming “a huge milestone” for the photo-editing software program.

"It's the tool we put out into the world that's had the broadest impact," Amado said. "It's used in the design process of pretty much everything we see and touch these days—every ad you've reviewed, all the photography in every publication, everything from logos on T-shirts to billboards, industrial design and the movies."

So before making the claim “it’s too Photoshopped”, think about all the professionals involved in one single shot.

Tumblr The New Social Media Platform

For years, Tumblr has been the social media outlet for photo-interested college students and creative users. With call-to-action pieces being implemented in blog posts, along with other web-based content, Fortune 500 companies are taking advantage of this social medium.

Tumblr is just now being tapped into as social media specialists are looking for new ways to differentiate their company’s audience, especially as Generation Y and the Millennials take over where their company’s posts are being displayed.

Tip: Since Generation Y and the Millennials evolve as social media does, let them take the reigns and see how your company progresses. Take a chance to come out ahead.

Here are some benefits to Tumblr and why the big guys are reaping the benefits of this less unexploited social site:

Blogging alternative:

Not every company operates a written blog, even though they should. Sometimes, people are too busy to write or are not comfortable with their public voice, so they prefer a photo blog instead! Since Tumblr is photo-based, companies manage their image and increase impressions by posting detailed, interesting, or beautifully designed images instead. Your consumers will retain the same message without having to read a description, and a photo always lasts longer in a person’s mind anyways.

Tags are still tags, no matter where they originate

Tumblr uses the same basics to connect as all other social sites. You can still tag, which shows up in Google search results. This is the primary component to finding other’s blogs to follow and directly why users are able to discover one another. Pay attention to tags that are trending and used most often.

Operations are a-go Captain

Each user can follow, like, tag and post, as well as install tools to make operating the site easy. The trick to being “popular” on social media sites in interaction! Follow people you have not yet discovered, reply to posts you favor, and post often to boost your traffic. You can also view and monitor traffic via Google Analytics!

"Tumblr is one of the most visually appealing and user-friendly platforms out there, so it was an effective way to build our community online," says Lucy McIntyre, VP Communications at Andre Balazs Properties. McIntyre also helped to set up a Tumblr account for The Standard Hotel, who’s blog is packed with content from guest bloggers, downloadable music, and product pictures, reports Mashable.

Try something different to stand out. Worst-case scenario, your name appears more frequently in Google search results!

 

No Space Too Small

Sometimes I find I have too much stuff. Garage sales don’t work because barely anything goes and I can’t bare the thought of pitching my old teddy bears and action figures. So what is there to do with so much to fit into such a small area?! There are several ways to keep your stuff without creating clutter. Design time!

Bed Risers

Using bed risers will add inches under your bed. Once you have the bed risers set in place, and someone’s help to get the bed back into its proper position of course, slide plastic drawers underneath. This is also a great place to store shoes, and baskets full of blankets when not in use.

Found at Bed Bath & Beyond

Shoe Racks

Not sure if the inventor of the shoe rack had intensions of storage space in general, but either way we thank you! For all the ladies, this is great for bathroom storage Stick a shoe rack on the back of the bathroom door to store beauty supplies, the blow dryer that is too big to stick in the side drawer, a straightener, curling iron, and even bath towels. Shoe racks are also great for storing electronic cords, batteries, and small power tools, men.

Found at Deco Hubs

Hooks

Hooks can be used in every room with many styles and designs to coordinate with depending on each room’s feel and style. Hang purses, coats, scarves or hats easily. Renters love this, as the holes are simple to cover up come move out day.

Found at Tikkat

Tension Rods

Too many cleaning supplies? Put a tension rod underneath your kitchen sink or in the laundry room to hang cleaning supplies be the squirt nozzle. Tension rods can also be used inside cabinets or closets.

Found at Basicq

Shelves

Can’t go wrong with the typical shelves. Store puts, figurines, or travel memorabilia you can’t let go of. Not to mention shelves elude an artistic feel when places in a messy-neat manner. Messy meaning eclectic item wise, neat book placement wise. Above the bed is an under-used location for shelves. Put your shoes, clothes, or lights there. 

Found at Shelving Shop

Other Fixes:

Magnets work great, especially in the kitchen for spices and random utensils that have no proper place. Buy a projector instead of a television. Put a standing-pantry next to your fridge and use your cabinet space for other entities.

Envision the feel you want and go on sites like Etsy.com to look for unique storage options to fit the look you are going for. There is no place too small, there are only spacing options not yet discovered.