Let’s talk about websites! When was the last time you evaluated your website? How would you go about doing it, and is it even worth the effort? This week I’m going to try to answer these questions. Hopefully, I will convince you to prioritize how you represent your business on the web, and will provide some knowledge on where to begin.
When designing a website, it is important to consider its purpose and audience. It doesn’t matter how beautiful your landing page is if people can’t find the information they’re looking for. Starting from your end goal and working backwards ensures that your final product will stay true to its intention.
Let’s expand on defining the purpose of your website. First, ask yourself “what do I want to do with this website?” Maybe you want to sell products, provide information on your services, or collect information from potential clients. Browsing through your competitors’ websites is a good place to start. It will give you an idea of what others are doing and provide inspiration for how information could be organized. Be realistic and prioritize. If you can’t imagine keeping up with a blog, don’t have one. Also, some of your wants may conflict with others or need to be added later. That’s okay! Websites are continuous projects and will inevitably need updates and maintenance. Finally: be ready to invest. Time, energy, and funds must be allocated to create a successful website. If it is important to you, be ready to engage during the design & implementation process to ensure the result meets your expectations.
Let’s expand on identifying your audience. Who are your visitors and what are they looking for? Are they usually looking up fast information on how to contact you? Are they people looking for a specific service? How do they usually find your website? Are they usually fast browsers from mobile devices or does your common visitor spend time reviewing your content? Most importantly: who do you want to attract to your website? Putting yourself in the shoes of your common or ideal visitor will help identify qualities that are of most importance and set priorities during the planning process. According to the Nielsen Norman Group, viewers typically leave a website within 10 to 20 seconds. Even if you are not concerned about losing them to a competitor, you should pay attention to your bounce rate because your potential customers grade you before they even meet you based on if your website appeals to them. Here is a great article on bounce rates.
The most important aspect of a website is the quality of user experience. A website that is down, slow to respond, or with broken features indicates quality issues. The quality and efficiency of your website speaks to your professionalism, and it is an unacceptable area in which to lose points with clients. Websites need to be monitored, punctually patched, and protected behind layers of security.
We enjoy providing our sleep-better-at-night service for our CTS Website Care clients, in addition to helping plan facelifts or build new websites. Regardless of how or where you get help, always remember that your website is often your first impression. If you are going to have one, make sure it lives up to your name.
See you on the Wild World Wide Web,
– Burak Sarac, Team Lead
Reset Your iPhone Without the Password
Apple’s almost unyielding approach to privacy and robust security protocols are a primary reason for the brand’s popularity. But turn things the other way around, and the security measures can also prove to be a hassle for the average iPhone user. Take, for example, the scenario where a user needs to reset an iPhone but can’t quite recall the password. One might also want to reset an iPhone because a bad software update messed up the system, or simply wipe a device clean before handing it over to another person. The reset process requires the password to unlock the phone, and not having the credentials can be a headache. With that said, it’s still possible to reset the device even if you can no longer remember the password. Read more here.
Drawing Day is May 16th
The best way to celebrate this holiday is by expressing yourself through drawing just about anything you like. Did you know that drawing is an art closely tied to our history? Even cavemen who hadn’t yet learned to talk drew hunting scenes on cave walls. Today, we have so many modern tools to help us create extremely realistic and artistic drawings such as a plain sketchbook and pencil or a tablet and stylus. Even if you don’t consider yourself talented at drawing, there are real benefits to doodling. Here is an article (aptly titled “How To Draw When You Can’t Draw”) that will help make getting started a little less scary.
Instagram: How to Turn Off Video Captions
Instagram now displays auto-generated captions on all feed videos on its platform. While auto-generated captions are turned on for feed videos by default, creators can turn them off before sharing a video, if they’d like. In addition, creators can turn off auto-generated captions on posts they’ve already shared. This guide will show you how this is done.
International Hummus Day is May 13th
Seeing as how tomorrow is International Hummus Day, we have no choice but to celebrate the intoxicatingly delicious concoction of garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic – otherwise known as hummus. From whipping up a batch of your own custom-flavored red pepper hummus to spreading some store-bought dessert hummus on a cookie, there are endless ways to celebrate. Here is a recipe for the best hummus – we hope it lives up to it’s name!
