Author: Kaitlin Farris

How to Prepare for a Website Design Project

Written by Kaitlin Farris on July 24, 2020. Posted in Website Design.

Steps to Prepare for a Website Design Project

If you’re starting a new business or looking to freshen up your online presence with a new website, there are some steps you should take to prepare for the project. While a website designer will offer you guidance along the way, some preparation can ensure the process moves along smoothly and swiftly.

Your website designer will create an outstanding customer experience and an attractive look and feel for your website with an eye toward SEO and simple navigation. Your job will be to prepare the necessary collateral for the website.

5 Steps to Prepare for a Website Design Project

You can prepare yourself and your business for a website design project in 5 easy steps. The more thorough you can be in your preparation, the easier the website project will go, and in some cases, you’ll end up with a better website.

Step 1: Outlining your web pages

Take a moment to outline your website. This is also called a sitemap and helps your website designer create menus and navigation that will fit your website’s structure. Most websites feature a homepage, about page and product/service pages. But you might have additional pages, such as bio pages for your staff, a blog or industry-specific information.

Step 2: Create content for each page

Now that you have an outline for what webpages you want to include, you should start writing the copy for these pages. You can write the content yourself or hire a copywriter to complete your content. Consider breaking your content up into short, readable segments. This will make your pages more inviting. Use headings and bulleted or numbered lists to keep content short and readable.

Step 3: Outline your branding

Before your website designer can create a stunning website experience, they’ll need to know more about your branding. Outline your preferred fonts, color palette, and elements you’d like included in your website. The clearer and complete you can make your brand guidelines, the easier it will be for your web designer to do their work.

Step 4: Create an online folder with images, illustrations and content to share with your website designer

Using a cloud program, such as Dropbox or Google Drive, upload all content, images, illustrations, etc. to a folder so you can share that content with your website designer. Having all this content in final state will make it simple and easy for your website designer to get to work immediately. It’s a good idea to put your sitemap in this folder as well so that your website designer can see how the content comes together.

Step 5: Hire a website designer

Now that you have all your planning and preparation in place, it’s time to hire a website designer. Read online reviews to learn more about the designer and other customers’ experiences with them. Check out case studies and samples of work on their website or portfolio to learn more about their skills and expertise. Ask for specific industry experience if you think that’s important to your project.

Kelly Website Design has extensive experience in creating professional websites and e-commerce stores. Contact us to learn more about our service offerings.

How Website Design Could Affect Your Sales

Written by Kaitlin Farris on June 23, 2020. Posted in Marketing, Website Design.

Online sales continue to grow. In fact, 2019 saw a 14.9 percent increase in online sales over the previous year, accounting for $601.75 billion nationally. Sales through your website are a crucial aspect of your business because so much consumer spending now occurs online. A difficult reality to face for many businesses is that website design could have a large impact on your sales.

When a website visitor lands on your site, you only have a couple of seconds to draw them in and convince them to make a purchase. The experience they have within those first few seconds will dictate whether or not they leave and go to a competitor whose website is more attractive or better suited to their needs.

As you evaluate your website, here are some ways in which website design can affect your sales and what you should do about it.

Lack of Design Fails to Guide Visitors Through Your Site

Websites that have effective design showcase the various aspects of your products or services that help users make a purchasing decision. Websites with a strong design never leave a visitor wondering what they should do next on the site.

For example, product pages should have clear “add to cart” buttons. And below the main product, you should be showcasing similar products that generally accompany that product. This helps highlight the overall value you offer and the breadth of that offering.

Website visitors who land on your homepage first should be able to ascertain your key consumer benefit and understand your brand story at a glance. As you consider the flow of users through your website, you should know that website design is about more than making a website that looks good. It’s about simple, effective navigation that nudges your visitor to where you want them to go.

Slow Load Times Can Lead to Abandonment

When your website loads slowly, you could be losing customers. People’s lives today are busy and they expect speed and immediacy from websites. No one wants to wait around for your website to load, especially when there are so many competitors out there that do the same things you do.

Well designed websites load quickly to ensure your visitors get the crucial information they need to make a purchasing decision. You should discuss with your website developer how you can use file types appropriately and cut down on unnecessary code to ensure a speedy website so you don’t lose the sale.

Misplaced or Poor Calls to Action

When your calls to action are weak, misplaced or nonexistent, you risk losing sales. Some websites are so cluttered with calls to action that they don’t guide the user at all and can cause overwhelm.

There are three elements to a good call to action. They should be inviting, clear and bold to ensure your website visitors want to click them and can’t possibly ignore them.

Consider what your call to action should be on every page. Even your about the company page should have some call to action. It could be softer, such as a contact us instead of a purchase from us button. Nonetheless, it should be present on your page. Failure to include a call to action on every page could lead to missed sales opportunities.

Dull, Outdated Websites Don’t Invite Sharing

One of the best ways to earn new customers is through referrals. And to invite referrals, your website should be something that your customers are proud to share with their friends. The more inviting and neater it is, the more likely your customers will be to share it.

Websites that are extremely out of date or hard to read won’t compel your visitors to share them. Ensure your website is modern and sleek to get more referral marketing.

Kelly Website Design can modernize your website and ensure you get as much sales value as possible from it. Contact us to get started with your website design project.

5 Website Updates for Businesses to Thrive During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Written by Kaitlin Farris on May 13, 2020. Posted in Marketing, Social Media, Website Design.

One aspect of business operations and strategy that has become quite clear in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic is that digital communication is crucial. Most digital communication starts and ends with a strong company website.

If you haven’t taken the time to review your website strategy as government mandates require alterations to your business, it’s certainly time now to do that website review. A strong website could be the difference between your business thriving and surviving during the pandemic and going out of business due to a lack of income.

As you review your company website, here are the five updates you should consider to keep your business alive and thriving during these challenging times.

Update Your Homepage With Relevant Information

The big question consumers have right now for businesses is whether or not they are open and accepting orders. From the moment your customers land on your site, this information should be apparent. Make sure your homepage explains that you are open and ready for business.

Have a statement in the website banner or somewhere else that’s prominent making this evident. The banner can link out to a more detailed explanation of adjustments you’ve made to your business model or new expectations in product/service delivery timeframes.

If you are unable to continue operating your business, you should still make this apparent on your homepage and set timelines for when you anticipate reopening. While you might have to update those timelines regularly, it still gives your customers an idea of what to expect from you.

Add/Enhance Your eCommerce Ability

Some companies that never operated within the e-commerce space are now required to do so due to brick and mortar closures and the suspension of events, such as farmers’ markets. If your e-commerce capability was limited, it’s time to expand that capability.

Some things you want to consider in your e-commerce capability include:

In stock notifications
Inventory management (as your online business grows, you won’t be able to keep up with manual spreadsheet inventory or other manual means of keeping track of this information)
Pickup options (for stores that had a brick and mortar presence that now can no longer permit people in-store)

Add Interactive Content

With newfound time on their hands, people are turning to online content to fill their free time. Review how interactive your website is. Consider adding videos, courses and interaction feedback to your website to encourage return visitors and shares on social media.

Review Logistic Details and Turn Around Times

Not only is the coronavirus affecting a company’s ability to operate brick and mortar locations, but it is also putting strains on the supply chain and shipping. Because so many goods are being transported via the mail and other shipping services, timelines for delivery might be longer.

Review the promises that you make on your website for shipping timelines and delivery. Make sure these are still realistic with your new staffing levels and the options that mail and carrier services are offering now. Do not over-promise during these challenging times because your customers are counting on you.

Analyze Your Website Data and Calls to Action

Take an in-depth look at your website analytics. Review where people are exiting your website from and pages with high bounce rates. You might be losing these valuable customers due to a lack of a call to action or a weak call to action.

Invest time in ensuring that every page on your website is performing at its optimal capability to bring in new customers and prospects.

If you need help reviewing your website’s design and functionality, contact Kelly Website Design for expert service in Radnor, Media, Springfield, Ridley, Havertown, Philadelphia, and West Chester.

2020 Website Design Trends and Techniques

Written by Kaitlin Farris on April 7, 2020. Posted in Website Design.

Website design in 2020 will feature clean white space, as well as interactivity and technology advances that allow for many new and neat features. While Java is being phased out, there are still many options for making your website look fantastic with clean, modern design. Here’s what you’ll see more of for web design in 2020.

Text-Only Heroes

The hero space on websites will favor large text elements that make a statement. Not only that, but text-only heroes will start to take over the large graphics that used to sit in that space. As companies work to make bold statements, their hero space will serve that purpose with web design that favors a variety of typefaces with varying impacts.

For example, all caps for one- to three-word phrases designed to grab attention followed by 7-10 words of a subhead in a lighter, thinner font is becoming the new trend for heroes.

Versatile Gradients

For several years, gradients were so last decade. Then 2020 rolled around and showed us how minimalist gradients can give visual interest to essential areas of a website. While flat design is still popular from a minimalism standpoint, slowly minimalist gradients are replacing completely flat designs to bring in new design elements.

These are not the gradients of the last decade where they fade to transparent, white or black. Instead, the new trend for gradients is to use multiple brand colors that fade into one another.

Ample White Space

White space is nothing new for websites, so this is more a website design trend that’s continuing. Allowing a design breathing room and ensuring that it isn’t overly complex means keeping ample white space.

In fact, in 2020, you’ll even see some websites that are entirely black and white. That will allow the bold text to tell your company’s brand story and explain the value you bring your customers.

Motion Based on User Activity

Animations that play on scroll, rollover, click or other website visitor actions are a rising trend. Animations and movement on a website vary from minor, such as animation that offers the user feedback on their actions (such as hover, click, etc.) to much more bold animations. A bold animation might show on page load and show in just a couple seconds what your brand is all about.

Using video and animation within website design is not a new trend, but it continues to permeate the industry more and more. A good website designer looks for simple ways to offer website visitors feedback and interactivity through motion.

Illustrations

Brands like Google continue to use illustrations to showcase ideas and concepts. Within a good illustration, you can tell a story or communicate an idea to your visitors in a matter of seconds with one short glance.

Illustrations also offer the opportunity to showcase your brand colors, style and personality in a bold way. Stock images have progressively become stuffier and unengaging for the average visitor. Instead, web design leans heavily upon custom illustrations targeted at telling a brand story in short order.

Large Type Elements

Much like we discussed at the beginning with text-only hero elements, large type elements are popular in website design for 2020. As part of this trend, we’re seeing outlined fonts as quite popular. It gives weight to the text without making it too bold or heavy and inviting in some fresh space for that bold text.

Consider using large type elements to communicate your keywords or phrases for your brand. The words you choose to make large and bring to the forefront of your web design should mean something, so choose those words and typeface carefully.

Website Design for the New Decade

With 2020, we ushered in a whole new decade of website design. Kelly Website Design serves Pennsylvania primarily in Media, Radnor, Ridley, Springfield, Philadelphia, Havertown and West Chester. Allow us the opportunity to bring your web design into the new decade with a redesign. Request a quote on our easy-to-use website request form.

How A Responsive Website Helps Your Business

Written by Kaitlin Farris on February 25, 2020. Posted in Website Design, Website Management.

As smartphones become the most dominant driving force of internet traffic – a responsive website is probably the most sought-after element in web designing. It includes the ability of a website to adjust to any device, such as a PC, laptop or a smartphone, without losing its speed or quality.

Businesses now make sure that their website runs fast across all devices. Most web designing services optimize a website to run well on all devices — to keep visitors from straying away and to provide a seamless experience to the visitor.

If you are a business owner, who is unsure about the integration of a responsive web design for your website, let us enlighten you with what it can do for you:

Responsive Website Design

The main purpose of a responsive web design is to ensure that a website runs smoothly on all devices, regardless of their specs, screen size or features. An advanced flexible layout allows web designers to make sure all media runs well on the website.

Today more people use smartphones to check out websites. A responsive web design helps avoid unnecessary scrolling, so visitors experience a smooth transition from one page to the other. It improves traffic and increases chances of conversion.

Instead of designing multiple websites for different platforms, you can have one layout that works well on all devices.

Why A Responsive Web Design Matters For Your Business

A well-performing website can do wonders for a business. Let’s see how it can help achieve your business goals:

Better Sales

When a user comes across a website that is fast and has minimum page-load time — it has a major impact on conversion and the visitor often becomes a customer. Studies suggest that over 62% ecommerce stores were able to improve sales with a more responsive website.

Navigation becomes easier and the visitor can quickly switch between pages. It helps with the decision-making process of a visitor, which in turn, increases sales.

Helps Reach Out To Mobile Audiences

The ever-increasing use of smartphones has generated even a bigger demand for a responsive website. Recent research shows that 72% people prefer a more mobile-friendly website.

It is imperative for businesses to switch to a responsive web design to market their brand and increase revenue.

Improved Visibility On Search Engines

Search engine optimization helps improve a website’s ranking on Google and other search engines. The higher a website the better are its chances to attract potential customers. With regular tweaks in its algorithm, Google prefers to rank responsive websites higher.

Cost Effective

A responsive website helps a business save money by eliminating the need for multiple websites. Investing in a high quality business website goes a long way in achieving the long-term goals of a business or company.

Our Word

A fast-performing website can do wonders for your business, both in the short and long term. It allows you to market your brand and helps the visitor make his/her buying decision.

It is a cost-effective solution to everyday business worries. With a website that ranks higher on Google, business owners do not have to worry about online marketing. Users enjoy the experience and are able to make a purchase right then and there.

If you are a business owner who wants to create brand awareness and increase sales, we suggest you contact a website design company that caters to your business needs today!

Why is Web Graphic Design So Important?

Written by Kaitlin Farris on February 9, 2020. Posted in Marketing, Website Design.

A successful branding campaign can make people feel a certain way about your company. Your logo helps your customers become familiar with your brand and learn to trust services or products labeled with that graphic.

Imagine you’re walking through the grocery store in search of a soda. Whether you’re a fan of Coca-Cola, Pepsi, or another brand, your eyes will drift to the cans that you recognize. They’re familiar, and the companies feel like a friend you’ve welcomed into your home countless times.

Working with a graphic designer for your logo is an essential component of building a strong brand. Seeing success with your marketing campaign begins with a unique logo for your business.

Logo Design and Successful Branding

What are some of the most successful and popular logos that come to mind when you think about successful brands? Do you think of the familiar script of the Coca-Cola wordmark? Do you see the smiling arrow of Amazon? Do you see the Nike “swoosh” on a pair of sneakers?

Even if you don’t wear Nikes, never shop at Amazon, and prefer Pepsi to Coca-Cola, you still know these brands and exactly what they sell. That’s a successful logo. If you’re working with Big D Creative on a new website that will feature responsive design and other SEO friendly features, now’s the time to take a look at your logo.

When someone visits your website, does your logo symbolize something about your company? Does the font influence the first impression someone has about your business? Have you cultivated an image where words aren’t even needed? (think Apple)

Best Practices for Graphic and Website Logo Design

As we discuss your goals and plans for your new logo, we’ll visit some of the “best practices” for designing a valuable graphic that you’ll use across your entire digital home including your website and social media pages, as well as on boxes, bags, buildings, and advertisements in the physical world.

Your company is unique. Your logo should be, too.

You don’t want anyone to mistake your logo for anyone else’s company, particularly if you’re just trying to ride the coattails of a more successful competitor.

Not only will this backfire when your competitor considers legal action, but you’re not distinguishing your business’s brand as something unique from your competitors.

Why should a customer choose your company instead of the brand he already knows? Gain a competitive advantage with a unique and honest logo.

Resist crazy fonts and cluttered graphics.

Think about successful brands and the simple clarity of their logos. Apple is just an Apple and McDonald’s is a giant yellow “m.” Imagine the logo for virtually any automaker.

A few graceful lines or letters is all it takes to let you know you’re looking at a Mercedes-Benz, a Toyota, or a BMW.

Approach your logo design in the same way as these blockbuster companies. Simple graphics and a clear, readable font is all any business logo needs to shine.

Your Logo: It’s All About You

Your logo is a valuable piece of your brand whether you’re a small business owner looking to build a brand from the ground up, or you’re an established company with a healthy following of customers.

The logo design process isn’t instant, and you’ll probably look at a few different versions before you settle on the right logo for your company. Perhaps you’ll consider different colors, various backgrounds, and different sizes before settling on the perfect logo for your business.

The value of working with a professional graphic designer cannot be underestimated. It’s easy to tell apart websites where someone used a copy of MS Paint to design a logo in a terrible font like Papyrus against other websites where a sleek and professional logo was designed by a graphic designer.

Work with the talented artists and graphic designers of Big D Creative, and we’ll help you create an amazing logo that speaks to your customers and is an asset to your brand.

VR – The Next Big Thing In Web Design

Written by Kaitlin Farris on January 29, 2020. Posted in Website Design.

When we talk about web design, virtual reality is not a concept that immediately strikes the mind. With the VR sector expected to generate more than $20 billion in revenue by the end of 2020, it has already started to revolutionize many industries in the process – including gaming, real estate and construction to name a few.

But how does it affect web design, and does it really have the power to revolutionize customer service as we see it? Let’s find out.

What Is VR?

Virtual Reality, as the name suggests, is a digital simulation of real experiences. It is interactive and immersive – and it has immense potential to get integrated into a wide range of applications, including web design and digital marketing.

In VR, your real-life actions affect and determine what happens inside of the digital world you are engaging with.

An example of how VR applies to web design is in realtor websites that showcase and sell properties. Instead of making customers visit a property, or make do with 2D pictures, agents can now give virtual tours of a house.

What Makes VR Great For Web Design?

There are several scenarios where VR can be of great assistance to website designers.

Imagine how many customers will choose to buy from you when they get to pick and choose their products after virtually examining them; for example, they can use their avatar to virtually try on your apparel and accessories before finalizing their order.

Virtual Reality applies to Medical as well as Educational websites too. Imagine patients virtually touring the clinics, watching VR videos of procedures and having digital appointments with the doctors.

Educational websites can take their online learning to the next level by providing VR learning options on their websites. For example, engineers can experience practical implications of concepts by enrolling in a VR program and learn remotely.

Check out this IKEA VR system that lets buyers experience what IKEA products will look like in their kitchen.

What Can Statistics Tell Us About VR?

If you think VR is a new and unstable technology, think again – 78% of Americans are already familiar with VR technologies and using them to make their lives better in a multitude of ways.

Businesses are already investing in Virtual Reality setups for their stores as they pay $30,000 to more than a million for virtual reality store simulations.

WordPress also offers a plugin for the integration of interactive Virtual Reality in web designs, in addition to many other web VR tools in the market.

Virtual Reality can be used in websites to serve a variety of functions. All one has to do is think about what the user may want to have a realistic experience of.

In Conclusion

Web design and VR can come together to create some unbeatable experiences for end-users – and they don’t even have to download an app or a program to enjoy these. VR can be made available via regular websites on browsers they most often use, opening up some exciting new venues for marketers.

Imagine taking a virtual tour of a hotel room before you pay for it – or even set foot in the same city as that hotel! The opportunities for VR are only limited by our imagination.

Interestingly Google is adding VR tech to Chrome, enabling the browser to provide uninterrupted browsing experience in virtual reality.

Its time you added some VR functionality to your website as well. Get in touch with our web design experts to find out how we can help you take advantage of this trend.

5 Color Tools That Come In Handy For Web Designing

Written by Kaitlin Farris on January 18, 2020. Posted in Marketing, Website Design.

Designing a new website can be exciting – from choosing the font to deciding the color palette, this is a chance to create your online presence just as you wanted it to be.

But inspiration is hard to come by, and designers may struggle even with the simplest task of deciding the right color scheme.

Sometimes, we just can’t find the right color; other times, they just don’t sit right with the brand and business we are designing for. After all, colors can increase the web recognition of a brand by 80%.

More research shows that using the right color in the checkout area of a website can increase the clicks by 11%. So there’s no denying the importance of using the right colors at every step of quality web design.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could make your own colors and explore many others?

Here are five tools that can help you pick the perfect colors.

1. ColorSnapper 2

ColorSnapper 2 lets you play around with colors by modifying and adjusting them – you can even save a shade and export it if it’s the right color for your website.

Use the built-in magnifying glass to zoom into images and select the right colors. This tool is often used by graphic designers to organize and arrange colors according to themes.

However, ColorSnapper 2 is only available for use on macOS.

2. Adobe Capture CC

Have you ever come across colors in real life that you just couldn’t find on your screen?

Adobe Capture CC helps you use the exact colors you see in certain pictures or real life – just upload a picture and let this software extract its color theme. Later, save and export the colors from that picture for use in your web designing project.

Fun, isn’t it? Now you can find the exact shades you liked from certain pictures and use the inspiration from real life in your web design.

3. Color Hunter

Adobe Capture isn’t the only tool that offers to make colors out of images. Color hunter serves the same purpose.

You can upload any image you like, and the website instantly extracts its color theme and presents it to you.

Alternatively, enter the URL of the image you like and voila! You have the colors right there, select the ones you like and make your own color palette from it.

4. Hue Snap

We all have times when we see things that inspire us and trigger a stream of great ideas in our heads. While taking a photo for later use can be a good idea to save it, you might lose the train of thought or the specific feeling later on.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just start giving a form to your idea on the spot? Well, now you can. Hue Snap is a mobile friendly tool for you to create and save your own palettes. This tool helps you take pictures and use them to create your own shades anywhere, and any time through your phone.

It has the option to save and share your palettes with others too. So your idea doesn’t have to wait until you reach home or get on your computer. Start then and there!

5. LOL Colors

Do you want to avoid the headache of making your own colors but still want a variety to choose from? LOL Colors is an online tool that provides you with curated color palettes to choose from.

You might find the right color theme here.

It’s challenging but important to find new and exciting color schemes, if you are to stay relevant in the web design industry and create a website that delights visitors.

These are some of the many tools available online to help you come up with the perfect color scheme for your web design – get the most out of these so you can make your website stand out.

Why Site Speed Matters

Written by Kaitlin Farris on January 9, 2020. Posted in Website Design, Website Management.

Would you wait longer than a minute for a webpage to load?

Statistics say that almost half of us won’t even wait for two seconds!

What does this mean for you and your website?

That’s right! If your site’s not fast enough, people will bounce off before they ever lay eyes on all that you offer.

A slow-loading website is frustrating for users who are just trying to browse through your content. And if that’s not motivation enough for you to work on site speed, here’s another important fact: Google also accounts for site speed as one of the factors for determining page rankings.

Let’s look at why site speed matters for a successful online presence.

Site Speed Impacts Your SEO

Google uses algorithms to determine search results that appear in response to a query typed in the search bar.

In 2010, it introduced site loading speed as one of the signals for better ranking – it shows how responsive your website is to user’s web requests.

If a website takes ages to load, visitors usually continue their search elsewhere. Google understands that and does its best to send people to sites that have the most relevant results with faster load times.

This means that you may have the most relevant and impactful content for your target market on the internet, but if your website is taking forever to display it, Google won’t rank you in the search results.

It’s all about what makes users happy, and slow loading sites do the opposite of that.

Slow Speed Leads To Buyer Distrust

Businesses go to great lengths to ensure that customers keep coming back – a slow website makes that nearly impossible.

The standard browsing experience begins as a user logs on to a search engine like Google, and enters a search query. The results show up almost immediately, and luckily, your website is there at the top of the search results, proudly displaying a link to content the user is looking for.

They click the link to your website… and wait.

The page takes forever to load.

If it were you instead of that visitor, would you stick around to see what the website has in stock? No, you’d probably go back to the search results page and opt for “your competitor” who has a better and faster loading website.

People are impatient and need immediate results, and they learn fast.

Next time they search for a product or service similar to yours, they’ll avoid clicking on your link because they already know what to expect. In fact, stats show that 79% of online shoppers won’t return to a site if they don’t like how it performs.

But if they see what they want on time, they might make the purchase and even recommend you to others by sharing your website with social media or through word of mouth.

In Conclusion

Creating the perfect browsing experience for your site’s visitors isn’t just about the aesthetics and customer service you provide – but the overall performance matters too.

Variables like page speed and responsiveness go a long way in ensuring that your customers keep coming back for more.

Site speed also matters immensely for SEO and Google search rankings.

We’d love to help get your site up to speed so you can keep those customers, prospects, and users rolling in.