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7 ELEMENTS OF KICKASS WEBSITE DESIGN

1. Findable

We develop websites with the intent on having them found.

Before your website can be found by online searchers it has to be found by search engines. Without a search engine optimized website that is just not going to happen. The majority of websites are built for visual appeal, but to search engines they are empty, lacking the information search engines need and as a result they are simply overlooked by search engines.

SEO – Search Engine Optimization on a website means to modify a website for maximum effectiveness and efficiency, so it can be found by search engines. SEO is very technical work. Some important elements that go into optimizing a website include correct code, site architecture, meta data, content and link development. The more skilled the SEO expert the more effective the website and the higher the ranking will be acquired in search engines.

We approach web development from both a technical and marketing aspect and as a result, both search engines and people prefer the websites we develop.

2. Engageable

Research shows there is a three to five second window to engage the visitor or they will leave the website. It’s important to quickly give the visitor a reason to stay on the website

In order to engage a visitor the website must have three dynamics:

First dynamic → The visitor must be able to quickly find what they are looking for. Research shows that the eyes scan a website a certain way and a website must be designed knowing where the eyes will look first and place the most important information there.

Second dynamic → The visitor must quickly find the type of information they are looking for. If what the visitor is seeking is visual, then images, graphics and video need to be strategically placed on the website. On the other hand, if what the visitor is seeking is information, then information needs to be strategically placed on the website.

Third dynamic → The visitor must be given a reason to click through a website. Links must be strategically placed in order to give the visitor a reason to go deeper into the website. This increases the “click-through rate” and “conversion rate”.

The more engageable the website the higher the conversion rate will be.

We approach web development from both a marketing and technical aspect and as a result both people and search engines prefer our websites.

Site architecture makes the difference between websites that have high ranking in search engines and those that don’t. There are a multitude of good looking websites, but search engines will not rank them high because they are poorly built. They are cut and paste websites built by armatures and their architecture is a mess. As a result they are are slow functioning, not secure, and never found by search engines.

In web design Architecture has to do with the technical, functional and organizational aspect of a website. The better the web development, the faster it will load and the more Google will like it. Google prides itself in being the fastest search engine and has made it clear they penalize slow websites by not giving them preference.

Our web designers develop websites that have correct site architecture and are both fast and secure.

3. Architecture

Site architecture makes the difference between websites that have high ranking in search engines and those that don’t.

There are a multitude of good looking websites, but search engines will not rank them high because they are poorly built. They are cut and paste websites built by armatures and their architecture is a mess. As a result they are are slow functioning, not secure, and not found by search engine users.

In web design, web page architecture has to do with the technical, functional and organizational aspect of a website. The better the web page development, the faster it will load, the better it will function and the more Google will like it. Google prides itself in being the fastest search engine and has made it clear they penalize slow websites by not giving them preference.

Our web designers develop websites that have correct site architecture and are both fast and secure.

4. Aesthetics

Aesthetics in web design is more about making a website visually appealing to a specific type of visitor, rather than simply having a beautiful looking website.

The aesthetics in web design should match the type of visitor you are targeting and trying to appeal to. For example, if you are targeting photographers your website needs to have clean crisp images and graphics. If this visitor likes the way your website “looks”, they will stay longer. On the other hand, if what the visitor is seeking is information, and the website has too many images and graphics and too little information, that will work against you.

We design websites that are strategically appealing to the eye of the type of visitor you are targeting.

5. Responsive Design

Our websites are all created with a responsive frame work. This allows the website to be viewed properly on all devices, especially on a mobile phone. In most cases, 98% of all people are viewing web pages on their mobile phone. 96% of Google searches take place on mobile phones. It’s estimated 86% of searchers that land on a web page that is not mobile optimized leave it within 5 seconds.

It’s estimated that 30% of small businesses still do not have a mobile optimized website. You could imagine how much business they are missing out on.

6. CMS (Content Management System)

Content Management Systems are designed to take away the complex process of creating and editing website material and making it simple and accessible for everyone.

Traditional website development vs CMS

Although both may look the same the functionality is much different.  With traditional website development the website is build offline and then the files (pages) are uploaded to a web host.  Any changes to the website then must be made offline through a HTML editor and can only be made by the person who has the website files.  The person making the changes needs to be experienced with HTML code writing as well. If the files are lost, no further changes can be made to the website.

A CMS is a data platform that is more user friendly and has superior functionality.  A CMS keeps track of “all” website information and files.  The website files are online “in the cloud” and can’t be lost.  A CMS has hundreds of website templates and plugins and can also be customized.  One of the best features is that it does not require a technically skilled person to use it.  Anyone can go in and make simple edits and with a little training anyone can use a CMS. Another, and perhaps the best feature, is that it allows multiple users with individual logins.

7. Web Hosting

Most business owners are not aware of how important having the right web hosting is. Most people with websites simply choose the cheapest hosting service they can get and it’s usually with one of the more common companies out there Godaddy or Bluehost. The problem with these cheaper hosting services is that they are like the budget brands. They are designed to sell to the masses at a cheap rate, but with minimal space, security, and service. If you have a business or have a large site with pictures or video do not use the cheaper hosting service.

Two important ranking factors from Google:

First ranking factor:  Google search engine algorithm considers “Security”.  Is your website secure?  This is determined in your web hosting.

Google gives search preference to websites that automatically have a secure connection to their visitors via HTTPS.

Second ranking factor:  Google search engine algorithm considers “Speed”.  Is your website slow by Google standards?  This is partially determined by servers/hosting your website is on.

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