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.

How To Freelance With Little Experience

All too often people are discouraged by the idea of freelancing. Freelancing can be stressful regarding not knowing when your next pay check will come in, but the task itself is anything but difficult to accomplish when putting your best foot forth. Here are some tips to keep in mind when entering the realm of freelance work.

Make yourself stand out

The reality of competing against other applicants is that you both may be able to produce the same results, but the client wants someone they feel they can trust to get the job done on time and meets the client’s standards. Differentiation is key!

Update your resumé regularly and make sure the most up-to-date version is uploaded to your profile. Completely fill our your profile on job sites for freelancers, as well as professional networks like LinkedIn. Take the time to verify your account. Provide examples, references, and any credits applicable to illustrate you have not only actually completed the project listed in your profile, but that client was happy with what they received! Provide examples of your projects to illustrate your greatness beyond references and credits. Lastly, have a catchy tagline associated with your name so people can see how capable you are of offering something different.

Where to find work

There are endless websites to find work! Websites like: Elance, Fiverr, Freelancer.com, Guru and oDesk are some of the more popular ones, but work can be found even on sites like Craigslist and the Facebook Marketplace. Make sure to check the websites and your email daily for notifications and updates regarding a job you applied. Check daily rather than every other day so the client does not opt to give the job to another applicant over you due to lack of response time.

Highlight your qualities

Do not fall into the category “jack of all trades, master of none.” Define what you are good at to a specific skillset; about 5 to 7 skills will be fine. Try to have your skills correlate together in some aspect. For instance, copywriting, social media, and content marketing can all work together. Clients will be more inclined to award you with a job if they feel your skills align, as well as possibly persuaded to hire you for more than one job.

Keep your clients happy

This does not change from the salary world to the freelance realm. If your client is happy, they will hire you again over posting, finding, and hiring another … it is simply easier and more efficient on the client’s part. Simplicity goes far!

Send an initial job confirmation email to your client highlighting the expected completion time for the project you will be working on for the amount of money you will be receiving. This will further confirm you and your client are on the same page before getting half way through the project to realize something was miscommunicated. Proofread everything, and cross-reference information if accessible. Make sure to save your file by a simple to read title and the format (PDF, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.) you save will open on the client’s end. List your name, company (if you have one), word count, target market (demographics), and title at the top of your project.

After you have completed your assignment, sent the project over to the client, and received full payment from client for your work, follow-up with the client saying thank you for the opportunity to work together and if there is anything else they need completed in the future be sure to let you know. You can even take that final step and say you will put their work first before other clients, or some other benefit to reel them back in for more work.

If you have not already gathered, freelance work is far from scary, just time consuming. Fill out one profile and start from there to see who responds to your work. The worst that will happen is nothing if you don’t try!

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.