Design

A Beginners Guide for WordPress Web Design

WordPress powers around 34% of the internet. Not only is WordPress powering blogs, but many eCommerce sites are using WordPress as well.

If you’re thinking about starting your own website, you might be considering WordPress but are wondering how hard WordPress web design is. If you aren’t very technically inclined, it can seem daunting to design your own website but we can help. Continue reading this article and learn some simple tips for designing your website on WordPress.

Choose a Theme That Will Work for You

Depending on how good you are with technical matters, you might need to choose a pretty simple theme. WordPress themes are what make your website show up the way they do online. WordPress themes allow you to have certain functions and ways to showcase your content without coding it yourself.

There are literally thousands of themes available online. You will find some themes are paid themes and some are free. You’ll find themes that require a yearly subscription and other themes that you can buy with a one-time investment.

Depending on the type of site you want to make, you’ll find that certain themes work better for you than others. If you’re building a magazine-style website, there are themes that are specifically for this style of website. If you want to build a photography website, you’ll be able to find themes optimized for sharing your photography.

Keep a Tidy Sidebar

The sidebar of your WordPress site is seen on every page on most designs. The sidebar isn’t where you should put everything that you can think of. Recent posts, ads, promotions, about sections and many other sections could confuse or distract your readers.

Be purposeful when you put things into your sidebar. Whether you’re using managed hosting or cpanel hosting, you access your sidebar settings the same way. Go into your dashboard, go to appearance and click on widgets. When you are in the widgets section, you’ll be able to easily change what’s in your sidebar.

Make It Easy to Navigate Your Website

Nothing is more frustrating than going to a website where you can’t find what you’re looking for. Your website navigation should make sense when people come to find information.

Group related topics, create categories, and structure your menu section in a way where people can see your system and thought process. If you have a finance section on your website, you might add subsections like Debt Resolution, Savings, Investing, and anything else related that can be considered a subtopic.

User experience is an important part of web design. Focus on planning out your website navigation before you even create content and it will work much better for you.

Choose a Clean Permalink Structure

Permalink structure is your website link structure. For instance, if your website is yourwebsite.com, your permalink might be yourwebsite.com/post1 or yourwebsite.com/posttitle. You can choose what your permalink structure is in the settings section near the bottom of the dashboard sidebar.

Use Images to Drive Your Point Home

Images help your readers stay engaged. We all remember loving to read picture books and getting excited to see what was on the next page. Now as adults, images still help drive points home so we are able to understand the information.

Not only do images make your page look better and engage your readers but they can also help with search engine optimization (SEO). You have the ability to put “alt text” with the keyword when you upload it to your WordPress page or post for better SEO results.

You can use stock images or you can take your own images and use them on your site. Stock images are inexpensive these days or you can even find some online for free.

Select an Appealing Font

If you don’t want to look like every other website online and use the Arial font, you might want to look into other fonts. You are going to find that there are a lot of options available but you need to find fonts that go along with your brand’s look.

You don’t necessarily have to use a different font throughout your website but you might want to use a fancy font on your headers. While you want your website to be attractive to your visitors, you don’t want to visually overload them or make your website difficult for them to read.

There are even places where you can create your own font, download it and use it on your site to make it uniquely yours. This is a little bit of a pro-tip but it might be something you want to consider later down the road when you’re working on your branding.

Don’t Forget the Footer

While the footer might seem a little boring, it is prime real estate. People scroll to the bottom of your page to get an idea of how long the content is. Make sure you have important information there so they can see it and possibly decide to stay on your page longer.

Depending on the theme you choose for your website, you may even be able to pull images from your Instagram feed, show excerpts from your About page and more.

WordPress Web Design for the Win

Now that you know more about WordPress web design, a whole new world is open to you. Why not keep learning? We have many other articles on our site that can open up more worlds and exciting opportunities.

Browse our website, find your favorite section, drop a bookmark and come back soon for more great reads.

Savoring Your Space: The Importance of Office Interior Design

The average American works 9.4 hours a day. 

Many of us spend more waking hours in the office than we do at home. 

An inspiring office space should be functional, visually appealing, and comfortable. Cluttered, poorly designed spaces can affect people’s moods, attitudes, and productivity.

Some of the most important business decisions you can make are related to your office interior design. 

Let’s take a look.

Types of Business

The design of your office gives visitors information on the type of business you run. An organized, pleasing, well-thought-out design tells a story of success and professionalism. It will inspire relaxed confidence in your employees and clients. 

If your office gets disorganized, customers may come to believe the same of the company. 

Millennials are now looking for a happier workplace culture more than they are financial perks. If you want to attract and retain the best employees, create an atmosphere where there is cleanliness, balance, and interest.

Your office space can tell visitors about the type of office you are working in. 

A lawyer’s office, for example, may have clean lines and dark, sophisticated tones. A more creative office space may have lots of colors and unique designs.

Office Layouts

Your office layout will depend a great deal on the type of business that you run. Check out this link for some great ideas.

Many of today’s office spaces balance privacy and community sharing. The cubicle is becoming a thing of the past.

Consider separating workspaces with panels or dividers that can be removed. This can make people feel more comfortable and less “boxed in.” It may even increase productivity and efficiency.

Collaborative areas designed for employees to connect may include lounge areas, benches and tables, and cafe areas. The traditional conference room may be eliminated if these spaces are large enough. Seat people together who collaborate the most often, so they do not have to go far to exchange ideas.

If some of your workers need private spaces to make phone calls, make sure they have secluded areas equipped with the tools they need.

Your employees will likely need a balance between open and private spaces. This will allow them to collaborate and recharge when necessary.

Furniture

Traditional desks and chairs are also moving aside for more worker-friendly furniture.

The adjustable desk, for example, will allow a worker to shift their desk higher if they want to stand for part of the workday. This can work to reduce back pain and prevent weight gain. Many modern employees will appreciate a workspace that does not contribute to a sedentary lifestyle.

Consider interactive whiteboards that customers can use to write down ideas throughout the day. Technology has allowed for the development of multi-functional walls that can be written on directly. Plain, traditional wall space can be used for post-its.

Remember that office waiting rooms and board rooms are the first impressions that your company will make on visitors and clients. Office furniture in these spaces should be both comfortable and tidy.

Consider, for example, cushioned ergonomic office chairs and desks with charging stations. Your employees will not want to go far when they are in a flow and want to do their jobs well.

Colors

Neutral colors may make a small office space appear larger. They may not, however, be very inspirational in a creative environment. 

Blues and greens may help your employees generate ideas. Red can help with energy and focus. Yellow can stimulate emotion and happiness.

Make sure that any secondary or tertiary colors you add to your scheme compliment your main design, and do not overwhelm it. You will want the office to exude a unique warmth and personality. 

Lighting

You will want to focus on creating plenty of light to lift your workers’ spirits and encourage creativity. A dimly-lit workspace can be depressing, and it can make it more difficult for employees to see what they are doing.

Ambient lighting is the soft glow that covers your office space. It should not be harsh, as people’s eyes will begin to tire out. This is especially true in industries like writing and publishing, where employees are reading and writing for hours every day.

Recessed or track lights work well in office spaces because they can get brightened or dimmed, depending upon the time of day. They are also noticeable and orderly without being distracting. 

Wall sconces can create homey sections of light at a variety of checkpoints throughout your workplace. They work well in collaborative settings.

Task lighting shines directly on those spaces where employees are reading, writing, or otherwise focused on their jobs. Table lamps and desk lamps are common in more private working sections.

Swingarm lamps will allow your employees to choose the amount of light that will shine directly on their work. They are lightweight and attractive.

Small wall lights can be used to highlight any works of art or message boards on the walls. Try to strike the right balance between drawing attention to these important spaces without overwhelming working eyes.

Temperature

The temperature in your workspace can also play a role in employee morale. If, for example, your workspace is too cold, your employees will not be likely to get too productive. This can also make them more prone to illness.

A workspace that is too warm can make employees listless. The ideal workspace is between sixty-eight and seventy-eight degrees Fahrenheit.

The Best Office Interior Design

Great office interior design will keep employees healthy, inspired, and balanced. 

For more great workplace suggestions, bookmark this blog and check back often.

Business Hack 2019: Top 7 Reasons SEO Website Design is Vital

If you’re a business owner, you know having a website is mandatory in today’s digital age. No one wants to get in touch with a company until they’ve had the chance to do some research on their website.

More importantly, how are folks finding out about your website if you’re not taking advantage of SEO techniques, better known as search engine optimization? 

SEO website design is important not only so people can find you easily on Google, but also so your website can achieve the high rankings needed to climb the top of the search results. 

Here are a few reasons why SEO web design is important, and why your company needs it today.

1. It’s Easy to Find Organic Traffic

Think about how most folks find the websites or information they’re searching for. Chances are, they type in a few words or a term, perhaps with a zip code or the words “near me”. Google, or the search engine of choice, then directs them over to a variety of websites that meet these criteria.

If you’re lucky, yours can be among them.

Using SEO connects you with people who are looking for solutions to their problem. Getting organic customers through SEO is not only a low-cost way of increasing business, but it is also effective to boot.

Check out a few ways to maximize SEO efforts on your website with little effort for a great return. 

2. SEO Website Design Makes it Easy to Convert Customers

Potential customers like to see that they’re dealing with an expert who can help them with their problem. By targeting certain terms, writing in-depth about them, and including additional information, you can build audience confidence in what you have to offer. 

Since you’re already showing up in search engines while presenting helpful information about a subject, potential customers will assume you know what they’re looking for and how you can make a difference.

If you’re not taking advantage now, it’s time to start.

3. It Improves Social Media Ads

Social media is one of the most common ways for all companies to advertise. Many people take to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to find more information about a company, product, or service.

The same SEO you put to work on your blog posts and website can come in handy on social media, too. Knowing what key terms to target and how to apply them across the different platforms can help you gain additional followers with minimal effort. 

Before diving in, make sure to brush up on the use of hashtags in social media, and how they’re used across each platform. 

4. All the Cool Kids Are Doing It

Although peer pressure was something your parents taught you to avoid in childhood, anything goes as an adult in the business world. It’s important to keep on top of what the competition is doing, or risk getting left behind in the dust. 

Staying on top of trends means you can keep your website up-to-date and ready for consumer consumption before others catch on to what you’re doing. This can make your company seem even more appealing to people since you’re staying ahead of the trends.

Take a moment to view what your competitors have up their sleeve. Then find out more about how SEO design can improve business and help you grow. 

5. Updated SEO Website Design Makes it Easy to Convert Mobile Users

When working with search engine optimization, it’s important to test it and ensure it works on mobile devices, too. With so many people opting to access a website on their phone or tablet, you’ll find yourself losing out on leads, potenital customers, and even interested parties if your website doesn’t have SEO that reads well on mobile.

Once everything reads well across all devices, you can feel confident you’re ready to improve business and develop the clientele and connections you need for success. 

6. Improving Ranking is Easier When Using SEO

Climbing to the top of the Google search results is every webmaster’s dream. You want to be the go-to for folks who need help but don’t know where to turn. 

Google favors sites that are SEO optimized, putting them closer to the top. Avoiding issues such as Blackhat techniques (an industry name for dishonest practices) and focusing on delivering a quality website that targets and helps customers is the way to go for success. 

If you’re not using SEO in your current website design, you’re missing out on the free promotional opportunities that come from being closer to the top of Google results. 

7. You Can Build Connections With Others

SEO is more than standing out and looking at the top of your game. It’s necessary to develop relationships in order to increase your rank, too. 

By taking advantage of hot SEO trends, such as using external backlinks, you’ll not only promote other websites but can focus on creating relationships with the owner. Having an additional expert guest post or even mention you on their website goes a long way in obtaining credibility and getting your company’s name out there. 

Exchanging links and growing your profile makes it possible for others to see your business. And after all, there’s no such thing as bad publicity, right? 

Discover More

Now that you know the benefits behind SEO website design, it’s time to get started. Between gaining new customers, building business connections, and creating a whole new name for yourself within your industry, you have nothing to lose.

Curious about learning more? Check out our blog post on how to make your website stand out. 

7 Blog Design Tips That’ll Make Your Site Look Professional

The number of websites online is quickly approaching 2 billion. Yes, I said billion, with a B! Wow!

How do you possibly compete with those billion other people that want your customer’s attention? It seems impossible, right?

Well, I have good news for you. Many of those websites are not good at all. Their blog design is – let’s say, not so great?

If you want to get the respect and attention you deserve online, you need to have a professional blog. You need to make sure your brand is on point and representing you in a way that is going to get the right kind of attention. The good kind that is.

To learn more about how to make your blog look professional, continue reading this article.

Boost Your Blog Design to the Next Level

As you’re looking over the latest web design trends, it is easy to get distracted. You aren’t sure what you need to do first. Maybe you start one thing and then another and another.

Before long, you’re left with a bunch of half-finished projects, and your website is looking a little neglected. Knowing how important the design of your blog is, you’ve come here. And you’ve come to the right place.

1. Plan Out Your Design

If you throw your design together on a whim, everyone is about to tell. Instead of piecing your design together element by element, make a plan before you even get started.

As with your content marketing strategy, you need to have a strategy when you want your blog to look professional and well organized.

2. Watch Your Grammar

The fastest way to negate from a beautifully designed site is to riddle it with terrifying grammar mistakes. You don’t want to make your readers gasp and shake their head when reading through your information.

While grammar isn’t a design element, it will kill all of your chances of credibility, so we wanted to throw it in here for you.

3. Don’t Sacrifice Too Much for Conversions

We’ve all been to that website. You know the one. The one with three different pop-ups, a scroll over and an abandonment opt-in form. 

Sigh.

Frustrating, I know. You don’t want to be that guy or gal. When you’re going for conversions, make sure you keep the user experience in mind.

If you sacrifice the user experience to increase your opt-in rate too much, you may lose a high percentage of your visitors. And you’ll definitely upset more than a few.

When you have too many pop-ups, pop-overs, lightboxes and such, it doesn’t look professional. It looks cluttered and unattractive.

4. Thinking in Colors

When you’re building your brand, you need to create your brand color palette. Your business cards, website, and other marketing materials should all work with those same colors.

People associate you with colors, and it makes it easier for them to remember you. You want people to remember you and your brand so don’t forget your color scheme when you’re designing your blog.

A professionally put together color scheme compliments the other colors in the scheme and makes people enjoy browsing through your website more. Avoid flashy and clashing colors as they may hurt the eyes and be a turn-off.

5. Branding Your Graphics

Honestly, people are going to hi-jack your graphics. We know it, but if we’re prepared, we can get some exposure out of it, at least. Put your logo in your graphics so if someone takes them from your site, they will still know who made them.

Not only will branding your graphics help you keep your name in front of people looking at your content, but it will also make you look more professional. When you brand your graphics in a classy manner, it shows you know how to take care of business.

6. Bye Bye Clutter

Remember when I said early about all of the pop-ups, pop-unders and other opt-in forms? Well, those aren’t the only kinds of clutter that make a blog look unprofessional. 

Think about some blogs you’ve visited. Maybe you’ve seen a blog with a tag cloud with random phrases. If you click one of those phrases in the tag cloud it takes you to a blog post that is tagged with that keyword. 

People very rarely use tag clouds and it looks tacky. You can either get rid of the tag cloud or put another type of more useful navigation in its place.

7. Hello White Space

Whoa. You’ve got a lot of stuff going on there.

Just like you wouldn’t want your date to show up wearing a striped suit with a checkered necktie and bowling shoes, your website shouldn’t have too much going on either.

Leave plenty of white space, so people’s eyes get an opportunity to rest. When you leave white space on your blog, you allow users to focus on the most important part of your website. Use whitespace to direct attention instead of feeling like it is a waste of blog space.

Bonus Tip – Your Content Needs to Be Easy to Scan

When you write your blog posts, make sure to break your content into easy to scan pieces. If people don’t want to read a specific part, they should be able to skip to the next header to get into the next important part of the post.

When you structure your content this way, it is put together thoughtfully. Thoughtfully and well-structured content is valuable to your visitors and shows your level of professionalism.

Creating a Content Marketing Strategy for the Win

Now that you’re a blog design ninja and you know how to give your users an amazing experience, it’s time to level up. Learning how to make your blog look amazing is great, but now you need eyeballs on the blog.

We’ve created amazing content for you so you can learn how to promote your blog and get more traffic. Read our content marketing strategy articles today and learn how to grow your traffic.

App Design 101: How to Craft a Content Strategy for Your App

Two-thirds of the global population, around 5 billion people, now own mobile phone.

That’s around 60% of the current population, which means mobile phone usage is in the majority.

This is why the mobile apps industry is still growing at an exponential rate. As the needs of mobile phone users change, the industry adapts and undergoes many changes as well.

This might be the reason why it can still be hard to get the right mix of app design and content. If you want to know how you can create a great content strategy for your app, dive in to learn what you should consider.

1. Have a Strategy Before Launching the App

When developing a content strategy, make sure it’s ready before you even launch the app. When you already have an idea of what your app is going to be about, that’s when you can start planning. This is because you also have to take into account the type of content when designing the app.

Your app should have the right sections for the content you want. For example, you want user-generated content on your app. You should then design your app in a way that would accept submissions.

This then brings us to the type of content you want.

2. Determine the Right Type of Content for Your App

You have to consider the type of app you want before you decide on the content. If you want to cater your app toward busy people, for example, you won’t want to publish lengthy articles.

If your app is all about recipes, decide if you want to include step-by-step pictures or videos, too. Then, think of what else you can offer aside from recipes. You can allow recipe submissions, or you can put a comment section so users can chime in.

Remember to focus on the goal of your app. Don’t add other types of content if they don’t align with your app’s purpose.

3. Focus on High-Quality Content

You might think that with mobile apps, shorter content is better. That may be true in some instances, like in the example above, but that’s not always the case.

Even with smaller screen real estate, people still like reading useful information. If your content doesn’t add anything of value to them, they’ll drop your app no matter if it’s short or long.

Instead of focusing on limiting the length of your content, focus on delivering valuable information. Optimize the content in other areas to keep the readers’ attention.

4. Use Short Paragraphs

Because devices have smaller screens, a single paragraph can take up the whole screen. Avoid walls of texts by using shorter paragraphs. Test the content first on a mobile phone before publishing it to get an idea of how readers will experience it.

As you publish more and more content, you’ll be able to get a feel of how long a paragraph should be. We recommend using 2-3 sentences per paragraph. If the sentence is rather long, use 1-2 instead.

Make sure each paragraph also has ample spacing in-between. Otherwise, it would still look like a wall of text.

5. Use Headers to Separate Different Sections

One trick to make the reading experience easier is to use headers, especially if the content is long. They can separate each point in the article into different sections. This makes it easy for a reader to follow through.

Headers can also make it easier for a reader to go back to a certain point in the article. As you know, navigating is a bit harder on mobile phones. It can be harder to find something again as your readers will have to scroll back and forth.

With headers, they can read them instead of the whole section to find what they’re looking for. To make it easier for your users, use the right header tags to make them stand out from paragraphs.

6. Use Legible Font Size and Type

Another consideration when devising a content strategy for mobile phones is the font. It has to be simple, something that people can read without effort from their screens. It should also be in the right size so as not to strain the users’ eyes.

When designing the app, you also have to consider every single person who’ll be using your app. Your user base will likely include those with poor eyesight, old or young. In this sense, it’s a good idea to offer options, such as a bigger font size.

7. Publish Engaging Content

Of course, these tips won’t help if your content isn’t engaging in the first place. As we’ve mentioned above, it should align with the goals of your app to ensure that it’s relevant to your users. If you’re a user and you downloaded a beauty app, you won’t want to know the latest personal finance tips, for example.

You can also deliver personalized content, which takes into account their activities within the app. This shows that you’re catering to their needs, urging them to engage with your app more.  

8. Consider Adding Visual Content

Humans are visual learners, and so they may be more inclined to engage with your app content if it has some visual elements to it. Add infographics or even videos along with your content or as the content. These will make it easier for them to understand the message you’re trying to deliver.

There’s one thing you’ll have to consider when using videos, though. It’s going to use a lot more data than images or a simple text. Consider adding text to accompany the video so your users will have a choice.

If you have a poor app structure, it might not even be able to perform well with videos. Make sure it can handle videos by visiting this website.

Sometimes, you don’t have to go overboard with your graphics. Some relevant images to break up walls of texts can suffice to hold the readers’ attention.

9. Front Load the Important Information

In mobile phones, you have limited chances of grabbing the user’s attention. This heightens the importance of being direct to the point from the get-go.

To give you an example, think of how users read push notifications. There are only a few lines they can see, so apps would have to make sure they can deliver the most important information in 2 lines.

You can have the same logic with app content. The first thing they see should be the content’s main point following the headline. At the same time, it should make them want to know more.

10. Craft Interesting Headlines

Headlines should have a bigger font size to capture the interest of your users, but they should be interesting by themselves. It should be clear as to what the content is about, giving the readers a good idea of what they’ll see when they click it. Make sure to avoid clickbait headlines that might make your users delete the app instead.

Craft interesting content first and then write an interesting headline to go with it. At the same time, it should be short enough for mobile optimization. It shouldn’t take too much room on the space, yet it should be big enough for readability.

This task is going to be a bit tricky with all these considerations. However, as you get a good idea of what makes people click and what doesn’t, you’ll be able to craft good headlines in no time.

11. De-clutter the Screen Space

You need a reader’s full attention as they read through the content. To achieve that, your app design should have minimal clutter that can distract them.

This is becoming more important as humans now only have 8 seconds of attention span as opposed to 12 seconds from before 2000, around the start of the mobile revolution. This is what you’re up against, so don’t make it easier for your users to distract themselves from what’s important.

Depending on the purpose of your app, you may want them to take action. A cluttered space will distract them from doing that. It might even make their user experience unbearable, which will then lead them to delete the app.

12. Optimize the Reading Experience for Touch Screens

Navigating in the small screens of mobile devices is hard as it is; if you want users to interact more with your app and content, you have to make navigation easier for them.

On computers, we have keyboard shortcuts to copy/paste, switch between screens, and more. It’s easy to highlight certain texts and then save it to another application.

On mobile phones, on the other hand, we have limited shortcuts and most of the time, these shortcuts are hard to access and use if the developer didn’t optimize them. You can’t use keyboard shortcuts on mobile phones. As an app developer, you then have to figure out a way to offer shortcuts that will enhance the user experience.

Consider adding buttons for bookmarking, sharing, and such. However, we recommend keeping them hidden but still accessible via a single swipe. This is in line with the tip above to reduce clutter.

This is only an example; you can be as creative in optimizing the space for a great reading experience as you want.

Develop an App Design with Content in Mind

Your content strategy will play into the app design you’re going to end up with. This is why it’s a crucial part of any app development.

If you want to learn more about writing great content, for apps or for the web, check out our other guides now. Join us now for any of your digital marketing needs.

Getting the Glance: 6 Attention Grabbing Logo Design Ideas

With all the millions of logos in the world, how could yours possibly stand out amongst the competition?

It’s hard enough to get a unique logo with a professional designing it. But, since you’re starting a brand new business, you don’t have the money to hire someone.

Don’t despair. With a little guidance, you can create your own one-of-a-kind logo.

There are certain ideas of design that every graphic artist follows. If you keep them in mind, you’ll be on your way to creating something eye-catching.

What is it about a logo that makes people want to get a second look? One factor is that it appears professional.

If yours looks amateurish, people might do a double-take. But, that’s not the kind of glance you want to grab!

With images and text all around, trying to get the attention of potential customers is difficult. Check out these logo design ideas for help.

1. Simplicity Is Still Eye-Catching

The idea that something simple stands out more than a busy design might not make sense at first.

You might imagine that a design with a lot going on would look interesting. That it gives the eye all sorts of things to check out. There are more details to discover.

Actually, it’s usually the opposite.

A logo isn’t a beautiful mural that people want to stand in front of and marvel at. It’s branding that someone will look at quickly and make a snap judgment about.

Simple designs always look more professional and pleasing.

Think of the Apple Computers logo. It’s understated and to the point. Just an apple, and only using one color!

As you get ready to make your logo, check out other famous logos. You’ll begin to notice how little there is going on.

2. Don’t Recreate What’s Already Been Done

After you get some inspiration from other logos, throw all of that out the window. You never want to copy or even hint at a logo that’s already been done before.

The whole point of a logo is to create brand recognition. People can associate a logo with a brand quickly.

You don’t want people to look at your logo and confuse it with another brand. Then, you’re obviously not standing out.

What if they look at yours and it just reminds them of another brand? Then you’re reinforcing another brand’s recognition and not your own!

After you design a few logo options, a good idea is to reverse Google image search them. That way you can make sure that there aren’t any designs out there that are too similar.

3. Design for the Logo’s Use

Before you ever start brainstorming designs, take some time to think about how you will use the logo.

Think of where that logo will usually be featured. Imagine what size it will be. Put yourself in the shoes of someone seeing it for the first time.

That should inform how you design the logo. For example, let’s say you’re designing a logo for a new podcast you’re creating.

Most times, when people see your logo it will be on their phones. That means it will appear to them as a very small square. Design with that at the forefront of your mind.

Your logo should be easy to read. Any illustration should be clear at that small size. No details should be too small to make out.

4. Go for Timeless

After designing this logo, you won’t want to keep updating it periodically. That’s why you should do your best to create a timeless logo. One that will grow with your business for years to come.

How do you do that? Don’t use any silly or trendy fonts. They might seem fun now, but they’ll probably look outdated soon enough.

Again, you’ll have a better chance of ending up with a timeless design if you go for simplicity. Limit the number of colors you use. Really consider whether an illustration will hold up as well as something more abstract.

Of course, you can’t always predict whether something will look dated in five years.

If yours does, you can check out logodesignteam.com. Their designers can actually take your old logo and update it to look more modern. Or they can just create something totally new!

5. Color Is Key

Color is one obvious way that you can catch someone’s attention. Take the time to choose a palette that’s perfect for your logo.

One way to do that is to design your logo in black and white first. Then, you can pick out a few color schemes and apply them to the logo at the end.

Some colors that you like might not make your logo pop as much as you imagined it would. Seeing different options side-by-side will allow you to make a more informed decision.

6. Get a Second Opinion

When you’re working on a logo for a while, you might become too close to it. That’s especially true if you’ve done many drafts.

Whether you love what you’ve done or can’t tell if it’s good or not, get a second opinion.

Send it to a few friends whose taste you trust. Ask them all what their first impression is. See if there’s anything they’d change.

If you made your logo in different color options send them those to find their favorite. You don’t have to take their advice if you don’t agree. But, if all five friends say they love the green logo, they might have a point.

Get Started with These 6 Logo Design Ideas

These 6 logo design ideas will get you started on the path towards an eye-catching creation. Don’t be afraid to play around with all sorts of concepts. Let your imagination wander and you’ll end up with something truly unique!

Want to learn more about DIY designing for your business or brand? Check out this article for website design tips and tricks.

7 Web Design Tips That’ll Improve Your SEO Dramatically

It’s Saturday night and you’re going out with your friends. You get out your phone and pull up a ride share app to arrange your transportation.

As the page is loading, a note appears that your ride will be found within the next minute and a countdown starts on your screen. As you tap your foot, the first minute passes and the next thirty seconds seem to drag on for eternity.

After the time is up, the page continues to load. You’re now wondering if it’s going to find you a ride at all, so you open up the competitor’s app and give them a shot at securing your ride.

Even if this scenario doesn’t sound familiar to you, it’s a reality for many people. In this dog-eat-dog world, responsive web design tips are necessary for success. Read on to learn what you need to do.

1. Optimize Your Site for Multi-Device Usage

Responsive website design refers to the programming of a website so that it realigns text and images automatically when a device is reoriented.

If your website design doesn’t adapt based on the screen size and angle that your customers are using, then you are making life more difficult for them. Trying to read a full-scale webpage on the small screen of a cell phone can be frustrating. No one wants to have to scroll back and forth to read lines of text.

Make sure that you take the time to ensure your site is displaying properly on all devices. This makes it easy for Google to crawl your web pages and deliver the content searchers are looking for.

2. Boost Your Site’s Mobile Capabilities

Google’s algorithm has regarded mobile-friendly websites as superior for a few years now. This is because currently, the majority of Google’s searches are coming in from mobile devices such as smartphones.

It used to be that you had to wait until you get home to look something up, but now everyone has the ultimate encyclopedia in their pocket. Numbers of mobile users are only expected to grow in the coming years so adapt today and rise with the tide.

3. Achieve Lightning Fast Load Times

Internet users want websites to load instantaneously. If it takes more than a couple seconds for one of your website pages to load, then they will find another site to visit. With the responsive design we previously mentioned, your website users will have the experience they crave.

4. Keep Your Bounce Rate Low

Your bounce rate refers to how often someone comes to your website to land on a single web page for only a moment. This behavior signals to Google that the content they provided wasn’t what the reader was looking for.

To ensure your bounce rate is low and users are directed to your site, you need to make sure your menus are all easy to navigate and that you are providing opportunities for viewers to find more content on your site that they would be interested in.

5. Improve Your User’s Experience

Your website users should be able to navigate easily from one section of your website to another. That means making your menus robust. Try to create page titles that are highly accurate so that customers don’t have to dig for what they want.

Another good idea is to include a call to action at the end of any blog posts you write that sends your reader to a purchase point or another article. This will help to keep your bounce rate as low as possible. Learn more about web design that engages your customers here.

6. Avoid Duplicate Content

Before responsive website design was a thing, it used to be that companies would create multiple versions of their website – one meant to be viewed on a mobile device, and one meant for the desktop.

Often they would delineate between the two by putting “m.” at the start of their URL.

While this was the best strategy in the past, today having two websites is a major Google faux pa. Google crawls the web to see how often a piece of content has been published and if you maintain two websites then you are essentially copying yourself. That hurts the SEO of both your websites.

Instead of continuing to update and maintain two versions of your website, move to a responsive web design. You’ll save time and get a boost in your rankings.

7. Include Social Media Sharing Options

When people come to your website to read one of your blogs or purchase your product or service, they should be engaging with your content. That means that they are hooked in by your introductions, informed by your words, and directed by your call-to-action.

If readers are hooked, then they will want to share your content with their friends on social media. While copy-pasting the URL is one way to spread the content, adding mobile-friendly share buttons to your articles is a great way to help get the buzz out more easily.

Be sure that you include buttons to the social media sites that are most relevant for your business. For example, if you are a restaurant or bar, you will want to have share buttons for all the major social media networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, while ignoring more niche sharing sites like Pinterest and LinkedIn.

Wrapping Up Web Design Tips

Now that you’ve learned these helpful web design tips, you’re ready to draw in new customers.

For more helpful articles to boost your rankings, check out our blog today.

Is Your B2B Website Falling Flat? Try These 7 Website Design Tips

There are more than 1.5 billion websites on the internet today. So for you as a B2B business owner, guess what this means? One word: competition.

You should do everything you can to stand out. And one great way to do this is through an effective website.

But if you’re not a designer, it can be hard to know how to optimize your site. That’s why we put together this guide for you with 7 tips for B2B website design.

Read them below!

1. Effectively Capture Leads

One common goal of B2B websites is lead generation. This is because the sales cycle is often much longer than B2C businesses. Often, initial contact is made through the website and then the lead is handed off to the sales team to start a relationship.

Throughout your site, be sure to include lead capturing forms. Offer content in exchange for phone numbers or email addresses.

You could also consider having a button to request a demo if you offer a software. Also, think about simply having a form that people can fill out to request a call.

Use these forms throughout your site to grow your lead database, which will, in turn, improve your company’s bottom line.

2. Make Sure You’re Mobile Friendly

Did you know that 59% of B2B purchase decision makers report using their phone to research products and services during their shopping process?

So if you’re mobile site doesn’t work that well, that’s a big problem. It’s 2018 and people use their phones more than ever to shop, even in B2B settings.

But if you’re not a developer, it can be intimidating to create a mobile site that works on every single screen size. That’s where a responsive design can come in handy.

A responsive site will automatically resize to fit any size screen. So as you’re building your site, make sure you use a responsive software. You’ll be so glad you did.

If you’d like help with your B2B website design, get in touch with the professionals at LFORM.

3. Simple Navigation

Nothing is worse than having a potential customer visit your website only to get lost inside of it. In other words, if your website is hard to navigate, you’re in trouble.

Keep in mind that every web visitor has a goal in mind. They are on your site to get more information, make a purchase, or to solve an issue.

All you have to do is make their process as simple as possible. To do this, maintain a consistent navigation bar at the top of your site. Keep your menu in the same order on every single page.

That way, people will always know how to navigate through your site. Also keep your menu simple. Instead of displaying all 25 pages of your site in one line, use drop down menus to avoid a cluttered feel.

4. Keep it Professional

In a B2B setting, you’re working with other business owners and employees. Your website design should reflect that.

However, these days the definition of professional isn’t as uptight as it’s been in the past. It’s okay to use some humor and to be creative, especially if this lines up with the rest of your branding.

If your brand image is more serious, that’s okay too. No matter what, make sure your site is free of blurry images, typos, and broken links. These things will definitely give a bad impression.

5. Be Clear: Another B2B Website Tip

Your site should clearly outline your company’s value proposition. This is what you offer people. It’s information about your product or service and how it stands out from the rest of the market.

Keep in mind, however, that people don’t want to just read about the features of your product. They want to know how it will benefit them.

So be sure to include information about how your product or service will solve problems your prospects are dealing with.

6. Include Understandable Pricing Information

B2C products typically have a simple pricing model. B2B products or services, on the other hand, are usually more complicated in their pricing structure.

It’s common to have single products priced out, as well as various bundles or packages. And people who buy through an integrated partner or referral system sometimes get a discount.

In other situations, there are additional add-ons or customizations available which also change the pricing.

To avoid confusion, you should be as clear as possible on your site. Have your bundles displayed with comparison charts displaying the differences between the various options.

If your pricing is more complex than bundles, consider including a worksheet where people can pick and choose the products they want and a running total is calculated for them right then and there.

7. Provide Valuable Resources and Content

Not every visitor to your B2B website is ready to buy. Often, the purchase process is much longer. In these cases, you should provide educational content to these visitors.

This will allow you to still cultivate a relationship with these prospects even though they haven’t purchased anything yet. And when you offer valuable content, you’re developing trust with them as well.

Be sure to offer this content in exchange for an email address. That way, you can follow up with them through an email series which is aimed to prepare them for a future purchase.

Some great content options your team could create include:

• Webinars
• eBooks
• Whitepapers
• Downloadable guides
• Quizzes
• Video series
• More detailed pricing guides

And these are just the beginning. There are so many options for downloadable content out there to improve your content marketing strategy.

Once you have all these content pieces created, they’re also great content to promote on social media as well.

Final Thoughts

Well, there you have it: 7 tips to improve your B2B website design. Now that you’ve gone through all of these options, it’s time to pick the ones that will work best for your situation right now.

Then start implementing them! You’ll be so glad you did once you start seeing the results.

And if you want to learn more, check out our marketing blog for more tips.

How to Improve a Website: Web Design Tips and Tricks

Your website isn’t just a place where people can go to get information about your business or services. It’s also an opportunity to draw in potential customers and create more sales.

If your website isn’t getting you more business, then it’s time to make some changes.

Wondering where to start? Don’t stress! You’re in the right place.

Make a Plan First

Once you’ve made the decision to amp up your webpage, it’s important to make a plan. This will help keep you focused and ensure that you’re optimizing your time and money.

To make the best plan possible, take the time to do some research. Check out website designing articles online and figure out what your website is missing.

Click around on your competitors’ websites, too. What’s working for them? By witnessing what makes a great website firsthand, you can make a clear plan to improve your web strategy.

What to Get Rid Of

Before adding any new elements to your website, trim the fat. This means clearing clutter, removing cheesy stock photos, and taking any unnecessary information off of each page.

Don’t be afraid to be ruthless. The more you can get rid of, the more space you will have for awesome new content.

Add Easily Accessible Social Media Buttons

Now that you have a nice, clean slate to work with, focus on introducing useful web design elements. A great place to start is with accessible social media buttons.

After all, there are over two billion social media users worldwide. So if you’re not tapping into this market, you’re missing out on a ton of potential sales. By including simple buttons that allow users to share and follow your pages, you’ll increase traffic and improve accessibility.

Tell Your Story

Including an “About Us” section of your website is a great opportunity to connect with potential clients on a personal level. What makes your business and the people who work there special?

Use this element to tell a story. Not only will this help clients get to know you better, it will also give you another way to market yourself and your products or services.

Incorporate Calls-to-Action

Think of a new visitor to your website as a lost little lamb. If you don’t herd them in the right direction, they won’t know which way to go!

A call-to-action is an element on your website that show users where to go next. They are important to incorporate throughout your webpage to increase clarity and a user-friendly experience.

Use CTA’s to show potential clients that you can solve their problems. If you can do that, you’ll gain their trust and their business.

How to Improve a Website with Pictures

Check out the photos on your webpage. What message are they conveying to your visitors?

If your site hosts boring, basic pictures, it’s time to do better. The goal here is to gain the trust of potential clients by showing them who you are.

Use personal photos of real employees to achieve this. And don’t be afraid to have fun with it!

Focus on Easy Navigation

Want to know the quickest way to lose a potential sale online? By having a webpage that is difficult to navigate.

After all, there are plenty of fish in the sea. If your website is clunky or confusing, people will move onto the next one without a thought.

To avoid confusion, focus on accessibility and smooth transitions when redesigning your website’s layout. At every turn, ask yourself, “Is there a way I can make this even easier for users?”

Embrace Empty Spaces

When it comes to web design, white space is a good thing! In fact, it’s an essential part of organization and readability for your website.

Although it may be tempting to cram as much information into your web pages as possible, this isn’t an effective way to communicate with the general public. Users need negative space around text and images for both clarity and to avoid visual over-stimulation.

If you review your website and you don’t see enough white space, it’s time to strip away some visual material. Leave only what is vital for communication.

Test Your Website on Real People

Even if you think that your website is picture perfect, others may have a different experience. And what better way to find out than to test your page on real people who you trust?

Enlist family, friends, or current customers for advice. Have them scroll and click around your website for various purposes, like learning about your services or contacting you. Listen to their feedback and let it guide you moving forward.

Mobile Optimization is a Must

These days, people use cell phones for everything. This includes learning about services through the web and shopping online.

Visit your website from a mobile browser. Is it easy to use and navigate?

If not, make fixing this issue your number one priority. You could be missing out on a lot of business if your website is not mobile-friendly.

You Don’t Need to Do It on Your Own

Website design is no easy task! And unless you’re an expert, you’re sure to run into some trouble while trying to optimize your web pages.

Remember, there are people out there who can help. Professional website design companies, like Finepoint Design, will ensure that your website is running at its full potential. Hiring a design company is a smart investment in your future.

Make Your Website Stand Out

As you can see, proper website design is a vital part of optimizing your business and harnessing potential sales. And when it comes to learning how to improve a website, all you need to do is use the tips above as a guide.

By making your website as clear and accessible as possible, you will encourage customer interaction, and increase user satisfaction. Focus on mobile optimization, visual organization, and social media accessibility for the best results.

Did you enjoy this website designing article? Click here for even more information to help you improve your site’s design.

10 Tips on What Makes a Good Website Design

These days, an online presence is an essential part of running a successful business.

It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to sell products online or just want to make sure people can find you. Either way, you need to make sure your website has a good design and is easy to find.

If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to designing a website, keep reading.

Listed below are ten great tips to help you figure out what makes a good website design.

What Makes a Good Website Design?

It’s easier than ever to put together a website for business or personal use. But, in order for your website to really be effective, a good design is key.

These ten tips will help you answer the question “what makes a good website design?” once and for all.

1. Fast Load Times

Whether your business offers medical supplies or antique furniture reproductions, fast load times are essential.

If your website takes forever to load (in this case, forever means more than a couple seconds), people are going to go elsewhere.

Fast load times also improve your search engine ranking, which makes it easier for people to find your site.

2. Easy Navigation

Visitors don’t want to waste time figuring out how to navigate your website.

Make sure it has a clear, obvious layout with an easy-to-locate menu, obvious navigation categories, and a search bar.

3. Use an “F” Pattern

Another way to make your site easier to navigate is to arrange your content in an “F” shape.

Eye-tracking studies have found that people tend to scan a page in an “F” shape.

This means that they pay attention primarily to what’s shown in the top left portion of the screen. Information that’s located on the right side or bottom of the page often gets skipped.

Take advantage of people’s natural tendencies and make sure the most important information is located in the top left quadrant.

4. Keep it Simple

Clutter is unprofessional and uninviting. If you have a million images and icons on your site, it will be harder for visitors to find what they’re looking for. It also will decrease your site’s load times.

Before you add anything to your site, ask yourself what purpose it serves. If you’re not sure, leave it out.

5. Use the Right Font and Font Size

All the information on your site needs to be easily readable. Both the font and the font size that you use will help with this.

Look for fonts that are clear and easy-to-read.

Focus on simplicity and clarity; don’t look for anything fancy or overly stylized. Avoid using a variety of fonts, too. Stick to just one or two complimentary styles for a cohesive look.

You also should avoid using anything smaller than a 16-pixel font size. Sixteen is typically considered the bare minimum for text. Don’t make visitors squint to see what you have to say!

6. Make it Mobile-Friendly

Google recently announced its mobile-first index in response to the increase in the number of who are using their smartphone or tablet browser to visit websites.

This means that Google’s algorithms will start using the mobile version of a website’s content for rankings.

If your website isn’t set up to be viewed on mobile devices, you’re setting yourself up for failure in the SEO world.

A mobile-friendly device will adapt and rearrange itself so that it’s easy to view on a smaller screen. It will also be easy to use on any device, not just a desktop computer.

7. Make Your Contact Information Obvious

Don’t make visitors hunt for your contact information. Include your email address, phone number, and any other information you want people to have in an obvious location.

Ideally, this information should be available on every page of your website. And, you should have a separate contact page as well where people can email you directly.

8. Annotate Your Links

Don’t just use the words “click here” for your anchor text. It may seem like a smart move for getting people to click on your links. But, in reality, people need to know exactly what they’re clicking on.

Help your readers out. Start annotating your links so that people know where they’re going and what they’ll find when they get there.

This practice also helps visitors who are blind or have poor vision and may be using a screen reader. These devices allow them to skip from link to link to get an idea of what’s on the page. If your site is full of “click here” links, blind visitors will have a hard time figuring out what your site is all about.

9. Use the Right Colors

The colors you use when designing your website can make a huge difference to visitors’ experience.

When you’re trying to figure out what makes a good website design, you should think about the message you want to send with your color choices.

Visitors tend to associate certain colors with different emotions. For example, blue often signifies trust, while grey signifies professionalism.

In addition to choosing colors that send the right message to your visitors, you should also be sure to use colors in a way that makes your site easier to read.

Contrasting colors for the text and background make text easier to read. And, vibrant colors help draw attention to important elements (like a call-to-action button).

10. Use Images to Your Advantage

Pictures help you establish your brand and connect with your audience. But, they need to be high-quality, professional photos. Blurry snapshots won’t cut it.

If you don’t have any high-quality photos to use, you may want to consider investing in stock photos to give your site a professional feel.

Infographics and videos are also great for communicating complex ideas in a simple way.

Visitors often prefer these options to reading a large block of text, too.

Want to Learn More?

You now know more about what makes a good website design. But, do you feel like there’s still more to learn?

Check out some of our other web design-related articles to improve your skills even more. With our help, you’ll be a web design expert before you know it!