Category: Wordpress

Responsive website design has never been more important. What exactly is it, though, and why is it so important?

In simple terms, responsive website design ensures your website looks great on any size of screen. It is dynamic technology which means your website will automatically detect the size of screen a visitor is using. So, for example, it can tell the difference between a large computer monitor, a mid-size iPad screen, and the screen on a smartphone.

Your website will then “respond” to this screen to rearrange the content so it fits properly on the user’s device. Most responsive websites also have other elements that change depending on the size of the screen, such as the design of the menu.

Is This the Only Option Available to Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly?

Responsive website design is one of two main options you have to make your website mobile-friendly. The other option is to create a mobile version of your website. In other words, developing a separate version of your website that fits and works properly on mobile devices.

As with responsive website design, mobile websites also operate dynamically. This means your website will detect the size of screen your visitor is using and will then show them the most appropriate version of your website, i.e. the desktop version or the mobile version.

Which is the Best Option – Responsive Website Design or a Mobile Website?

Most experts recommend you go for responsive website design. There are two main reasons for this.

The first is there are no standard sizes of device or screen. As a result, visitors to your website could use just about any size of screen. When you create a mobile version of your website, you will make it suitable for as many sizes as possible. It is very hard (if not impossible), however, to create a version for every screen size possibility. This means some users may have a poor user experience.

The other reason why experts recommend responsive websites rather than mobile websites is management. With a mobile website, you will have two standalone websites to manage. So, for example, when adding content, you must add it to both.

With a responsive website design, you only have one website which is much easier to manage.

Why Does Responsive Website Design Matter?

Many people would say responsive website design is important because it helps with your ranking on Google. We’ll come back to this in a moment, however, as there is a much more important reason for ensuring your website is responsive and fully optimised for mobile – your users.

More and more people now use their phones to not only browse the internet, but also perform tasks on the internet they would previously have only done on a computer. So, if your website is not responsive, mobile users will have a poor user experience. This will impact the performance of your website and the results it achieves.

Turning back to Google, it also recognises the growing trend of people using mobiles to access the internet. In addition, Google wants to ensure its users – the people who use its search engine – have as good a user experience as possible. As a result, it prioritises mobile-friendly websites when people use its search engine on a mobile device.

In other words, if you don’t have a responsive website design, you may get fewer visitors than you could, and the visitors you do get will receive a poor user experience if they are using a mobile device.

So, if your website isn’t responsive, the time to act is now.

If you’ve got an idea for an app and are wondering how the design process works, the following outline will give you a better understanding. While all app development projects are unique, the steps below are fairly generic to all types of apps.

Those steps are:

• Information gathering
• Technical and budget feasibility assessment
• UX and UI design followed by wireframe creation
• Development
• Testing
• Upload to the relevant app store

Let’s look at each of the steps in more detail.

Information Gathering

This is where the app development project leader meets with you to get an understanding of the type of app you want to build. The lead designer might also be involved in this conversation.

They will want to find out about the functionality you want in the app as well as how you want the app to look, but they will also be interested in finding out who your target audience is, what your objectives are for the app, and what your future plans are.

Technical and Budget Feasibility Assessment

This stage involves checking if it is possible to deliver the functionality you require from a technical and budgetary point of view. Things like operating system version and mobile phone type will be investigated at this stage also. For example, you may need functionality on your app that is only available on phones with the latest version of the iOS or Android operating system.

UX Design, UI Design, and Wireframe Creation

This stage involves designing the visual appearance of the app as well as the user experience and user interface. The user experience element ensures the flow of the app is correct, so the app is intuitive and easy to use. For example, deciding on the navigational structure of the app.

The user interface design involves creating and designing buttons, content on the page, and navigational tools, among other things. Wireframe creation involves sketching the various screens of the app to give you an understanding of the how the app will look and feel.

Development

Once you approve the wireframes, the development stage can begin. This involves writing the code of the app to build the functionality you need and to create the design. A high-quality app developer will follow the latest industry best practices during this stage. This includes, crucially, documenting the code as it is written.

The app may go through several iterations during this stage of the process to ensure the functionality created matches your expectations.

Testing

Once the main development phase is complete, full-scale testing of the app will begin. This involves testing on as many different phones and operating system versions as possible.

You can’t make an app that is guaranteed to work on all devices, though, so the objective is ensuring it appeals to as many of your potential users as possible.

Upload to the Relevant App Store

After the testing phase, and after you have given your approval, the app can be uploaded to the relevant app store. If it is an iOS app for Apple devices, this means uploading to the App Store. If it is an Android app for Android devices, it means uploading to the Google Play Store.

Once the app is approved by the app store, it will be available for users to download.

Now you understand the process better, it is time to get started with your app development project.

Is your website something you are proud of or does it make you cringe when you think about it? This is a crucial question to consider because whatever you think about your website, visitors probably think the same. At the very least, a website that is not up to the right standard won’t portray the right image of your company.

When analysing your existing website, here are the things you should consider:

• Does the website have a modern design? Modern designs are uncluttered and clean.
• Does the website properly reflect your brand? Has your logo changed, for example, or did the original design not quite get the branding right?
• Is the website easy to use? When considering this question, remember to think about it from the perspective of visitors to the website, i.e. people who are unfamiliar with it. Will they be able to find the information they are looking for quickly and easily? Does the website do everything visitors expect it to do?
• Does everything on your website work as it should? Even if it worked when you first launched it, upgrades to platforms, plugins, third-party integrations, and other code can cause features to break.
• Is the website optimised for search engines with modern SEO practices and techniques?
• Is the content on the website up-to-date? For example, are there products or services on the site that you no longer offer? Are there products or services missing? Is all the contact information correct?
• Is the website easy to update and manage?
• What does your website look like on mobile devices? Do all the features work when you access it on a mobile? The importance of this cannot be understated given the numbers of people who now browse the internet using their phones. Also, if the mobile version of your website does not work properly, it will not perform as well in Google search as it could.
• Has the code of the website been updated recently, particularly in relation to security patches? If not, your website could be vulnerable to hacking.
• Does the website load fast, including on mobile devices?
• Does the website have all the functionality you want?

If any of the above points give you cause for concern, you should seriously think about getting a new website for your business.

Investing in the Future of Your Business

Getting a new website is an investment that will generate returns for your business. Here are some of the benefits that getting a new website will bring:

• The website will showcase your brand properly and will better represent your business
• You will get more traffic to the website through various channels, including from Google
• Visitors will spend more time on the website
• Your conversion rate will improve, i.e. you will generate more revenue and profit for your business

Several years ago, business owners in some industries could treat websites as an optional extra. This is not the case anymore. Not only do you now need a business website, you also need the website to be modern, fully functional, and in-line with current industry best practice standards. If yours doesn’t meet this standard, it is time to get a new one.

When most business owners and directors think about their website, they think about it in terms of their customers. Usually, this means ensuring the website helps generate interest from new customers, although websites can also play an important role in retaining existing customers too. What about recruitment in your business, though? Is your website attracting the team members your business needs to deliver for your customers and achieve your objectives?

Remember, almost all prospective candidates for vacancies in your business will check your website as part of the application process. Often, this happens before they submit their CV.

So, your website needs to sell your company to candidates considering applying for a job. Does your website concisely and accurately describe what you do, for example? Does it clearly outline the company’s mission as well as your vision and future ambitions?

Presenting the Right Image

One of the goals of your website should be to make job applicants want to work for you. This doesn’t just happen on the career or recruitment pages of the website. Instead, you need to think about the whole site.

Here are some tips to help you achieve this:

• Describe the culture of your company – this is one of the key things that prospective candidates will look for when they visit your website. After all, your website is one of the best windows that candidates have into what your company is really like. So, tell them.
• Ensure the content on the recruitment pages of your website appeals to the candidates your business needs – make sure you highlight things that will appeal to the candidates you want to attract. For example, salary, promotion prospects, flexible working options, training opportunities, etc.
• Publish a mission statement – a mission statement is a summary of the objectives and values of your company.
• Use video to tell your story – videos will give you an edge over other companies competing for the same talent. It could be a corporate video that you can use for other purposes in the business, or you could develop something specific, such as a behind the scenes-type video that includes introductions to key personnel.
• Optimise the application process – if candidates apply for vacancies directly through your website, make sure the application process is as streamlined and intuitive as possible. If you don’t have a facility on your website that lets candidates apply for vacancies, you should consider adding this feature.
• Include testimonials – testimonials give clients confidence in the abilities of your business. You can get similar benefits with employee testimonials. After all, an employee describing the culture of the company from their perspective is often more powerful than your own description.
• Include a strong call-to-action – the final tip is to make sure you directly ask potential job applicants to take the next step using a call-to-action. In most cases, this will be something like an “Apply Now” button. As with other calls-to-action on your website, make sure it gets to the point and is highly visible on the page.

Your website can’t solve all your recruitment headaches but optimising it will make a significant difference.

Mobile use has exploded in recent years presenting an interesting dilemma for small and medium-sized business owners in NZ – should you invest in a new website, an app, or both?

After all, you want to engage your customers in a way that is most relevant to them. If they use their phones a lot, then is an app the best way to go? What advantages do websites offer that apps can’t?

More Than a Website – a Mobile-Friendly Website

When considering this question, you shouldn’t simply think of it as a website vs app equation. Instead, you should think about the mobile-friendly version of your website.

Web developers normally make your website mobile-friendly by using a responsive design. This means your website dynamically changes according to the device of the user.

So, let’s narrow the question down further – should you invest in a responsive website that is 100 percent mobile-friendly, or should you go for an app instead?

Advantages of a Mobile-Friendly Website

For most small businesses, the answer is almost always a mobile-friendly website. This is because businesses in most industries will struggle to get real and tangible benefits from having an app. In addition, a mobile-friendly website will deliver significantly higher returns on investment.

Why? Here are the main advantages of having a mobile-friendly website:

• Easier to find – most people go to Google when searching for a product, service, or brand. The results they see when they search are all websites.
• Compatibility – mobile-friendly websites built using a responsive design will be compatible with just about any device. An app, however, can only run on the platform it is designed for.
• Easier to upgrade – with a website, you are in complete control of upgrading it. You can choose when and what to upgrade, and you can push the update live whenever you want. With an app, however, the process is much more complex. Even when you go through it, some users might still use the old version of the app.
• Wider reach – as users can find your website on Google and other search engines, it will have a much wider potential reach than an app.
• Immediacy – users can simply click and view a website which is a much simpler process than searching, downloading, and installing an app.
• More cost-effective – when you take all the costs involved including App store fees, the cost of development, and the cost of maintenance and future upgrades, websites are significantly more cost-effective than apps.

When Do Apps Make Sense?

What about situations where it does make sense to have an app. Generally, your app should meet one or more of the following four requirements to make it a worthwhile investment:

1. Gaming – users like playing games on their phones so apps often work better than websites if you’re creating a game.
2. High use – this means daily use, and often multiple times a day. Examples include social media, fitness tracking, and to-do list apps.
3. Native functionality is required – you may also need an app if you require native phone functionality that web browsers don’t support. An example is access to the phone’s camera.
4. Offline access – it may also make sense to go for an app if users require regular offline access.

As you can see, however, the above requirements are very specific. In most cases, a website is the best way to go, providing it is fully mobile-friendly.

Are websites still relevant, or is the world now starting to move on? Are people now using social media while ignoring websites? What about apps – are they now more important to businesses than websites?

All these questions centre on one consideration – should you spend time and money investing in your website or should you invest in other forms of digital marketing instead?

Lots of new technologies have threatened to overtake websites and, in some industries, they have. Take Facebook, for example, as there are far more people who access Facebook on a smartphone than on a computer. The majority of those people use the Facebook app to login to their accounts.

What about more generally, however? Specifically, what about your business?

Constantly Changing Landscape

It is true that the digital landscape is constantly changing. The increasing use of mobile phones is yet again a good example. This change has led to Google recently adopting a mobile first indexing policy. This means it checks the mobile version of a website before the desktop version when updating its search index.

To date, however, the importance of websites has remained undiminished despite this changing landscape. In fact, in many situations, the importance of websites has increased.

In the above example of Google’s mobile first policy, the strong advice for all website owners is to review, update, and improve how their website looks and operates on smartphones. By doing this, you increase the possibility of getting more traffic to your website.

That hardly sounds like a technology that is on the way out.

What About Apps?

What about mobile apps – could they overtake websites? Again, in some cases, mobile apps are becoming more important. We’ve already mentioned the example of social media but there are others too, including games – game apps are incredibly popular.

For most businesses, however, websites are a far more important marketing tool than an app. This is because people still go to Google when looking for a product or service. They still go to Google or your website directly when looking for directions to your business too, or to get your telephone number. There are not many people who would turn to an app when looking for this information.

In fact, many SMEs are struggling to get a return on investment from there apps. Even if they get people to install the app on their phone, how do they get them to regularly use it? Just look at all the apps on your phone that you haven’t opened in ages to see how difficult a problem this is for app owners.

What About Social Media?

Social media is another argument sometimes offered by those who think websites are on the way out. After all, you can set up a business page on Facebook easily and for free.

Social media is very restrictive, however, plus you must play by the platform’s rules. You can’t, for example, design your Facebook business page however you want.

Also, you are at the mercy of the platform, something which is a highly risky strategy for businesses that only have a presence on social media.

Websites Are Critically Important Today and Will Be in the Future

There is no reliable information that websites are becoming less important to business. On the contrary, people increasingly expect to be able to find out about and interact with your business through a website.

So, websites are not on the way out. They are here, and they are here to stay for the foreseeable future.

Is there a guaranteed way to be number one on Google? When you think of this question, it is a logical impossibility. After all, if there was a guaranteed way, everyone would do it which would render the technique useless. After all, everyone can’t be number one.

This doesn’t mean you should give up all hope of getting to the top spot of Google. For a start, you should be able to get to the top spot for your business name – that is relatively straightforward. When most people talk about getting to number one on Google, however, they are referring to being in the top spot for other keywords in addition to their business name.

So, while there are no guarantees, here are six tips which will increase your chances of being number 1 on Google.

Tip 1 – Adhere to Google’s Quality Guidelines

Trying to trick your way to number one spot on Google simply won’t work, particularly in the long term. The only way to get real and lasting results is to use open and honest strategies.

A good place to start is to check if your website and SEO strategies adhere to Google’s Quality Guidelines.

Tip 2 – Target the Right Keywords

The keywords you choose to target are critically important to the success of your SEO strategy. Let’s say you are a mortgage adviser, for example. You are likely to find it almost impossible to rank highly for the keyword “mortgages” because it is too competitive. Therefore, you probably should not spend time or money trying.

The more successful approach is to target other keywords. This includes local search terms such as “mortgage advisor <location>”. It also includes more specific search terms, such as “first-time buyer mortgages <location>”.

While there is still no guarantee with these keywords, you will increase your chances of success.

Tip 3 – Optimise Your Website for Keywords

Once you have decided on the keywords you want to target, you need to optimise your content for those keywords. This usually means the following:

• Creating a separate page for each main keyword
• Including the keyword in the page title
• Including the keyword in the H1 tag
• Including the keyword in the first paragraph of the page and sporadically elsewhere
• Including variations of the keyword in the page’s sub-headings and content
• Including the keyword in the page’s meta description

Tip 4 – Add Lots of Content to Your Website

You should also publish lots of high-quality and unique content to your website. This can help with the next tip, plus it helps Google get a better understanding of your website and your level of authority in the field. Google also likes websites that are active.

Tip 5 – Get Links from High-Quality Sources

Backlinks remain one of the most important factors in SEO. Google treats links from other websites to yours as an indicator of your website’s quality. There are two things you should remember about links:

• You need lots of them – the more the better
• But only if they come from good quality sources

In other words, there is no way of faking links that will deliver sustainable results. This may have been possible in the past, but the only realistic option you have now is to build genuine links from quality websites.

Tip 6 – Use Alternative Strategies

The final tip we have is to forget about getting to the top spot in Google’s organic search results. This is because you have other options:

• Use Google My Business and optimise your listing and website for local searches. This is because Google’s local search results are separate to the organic listings, plus they appear above the organic listings.
• Use Google AdWords, optimising your campaign to get into one of the top ad positions. These positions also appear above organic search results.
• If you sell products, promote them using Google Shopping ads which are more attractive on search results pages than organic listings, plus they typically appear at the top of the page.

If you choose to go the SEO route, however, make sure you put in place a long-term strategy. This is the best way get the results you need.

Most people regard the development of a website as being a cost to the business. In accounting terms, this means it is written off in one hit on your profit and loss, typically in the year you get the website developed. There is another option available to you, however – treating your website as a fixed asset.

When you do this, the website moves from your profit and loss to your balance sheet, removing the one-off hit of the cost of development.

Before going further, we are not accountants at Numero. This means you should always take professional advice when making any decisions relating to the accounts of your business.

In the view of many experts, though, a website can be regarded as a fixed business asset.

What is a Fixed Asset?

A fixed asset is something in your business that you purchase to help you generate income. Office equipment, a vehicle, or a machine are all common examples.

Fixed assets typically have a useable life after which they fail or become obsolete and need to be replaced.

In accounting terms, you don’t record the cost of purchasing a fixed asset in your profit and loss statement. Instead, you put it on your balance sheet. Then, over the usable life of the asset, you record its depreciation, effectively spreading the cost of purchasing the asset over several years rather than one.

Is Your Website a Fixed Asset?

So, can you treat your website as a fixed asset? In most cases, you probably can. The only real exception to this would be a website that is purely a brochure site that contains information about the business and what you do, but contains no calls to action, lead generation tools, or ecommerce functionality.

In reality, however, websites like this are becoming increasingly rare as digital marketing in all industries becomes increasingly important.

So, if you expect your website to help you directly generate income over the coming years, you can regard it as a fixed asset and put the cost of development on your balance sheet.

In other words, if you expect your business to financially benefit from the website over several years, you can spread the cost of developing that website over that same period of time.

What Are the Benefits of Treating Your Website as a Fixed Asset?

Treating your website as a fixed asset strengthens the balance sheet of your business. It also means you don’t have to write off the cost of building the website against one year’s profit.

Of course, this may not be something everyone wants to do. There will some situations, for example, where it makes more sense to include the cost of building the website in your profit and loss. Only you and your accountant can make that decision depending on your circumstances.

The important thing to remember, however, is you have options based on the value of the website to your business over the long-term.

There is a lot of jargon in digital marketing, so to help you understand what it’s all about, here are 22 of the most important jargon terms explained.

1. Algorithm – this is a computer programme used by search engines like Google. It contains the rules those search engines use to rank websites on search results pages.
2. Backlink – a backlink is when a third-party adds a clickable link on its website that links back to yours. When the third-party is a reputable website, Google regards the backlink as being like a vote of confidence in your site. In other words, backlinks help with SEO.
3. Black Hat – this refers to SEO strategies that go against Google’s policies. They are sometimes referred to as spamming.
4. Bounce Rate – this is a metric in Google Analytics. It is the percentage of people who visit your website but only look at one page before leaving.
5. Conversion Rate – this is the percentage of people who convert into a sale or lead after visiting your website. You will often calculate conversion rate per advertising campaign, so you can measure return on investment.
6. CPC – this stands for Cost Per Click. In PPC advertising, this is the average price you pay for each click on your ad.
7. CPM – this stands for Cost Per Mille. Mille is the Latin word for thousand so it means cost per thousand. It is an alternative charging model to PPC. With CPM, you pay for every 1,000 views of your ad.
8. CTA – this stands for Call To Action. It is a phrase on your website or ad that asks people to take the action you want them to. Examples include “Buy Now” or “Get Discount”.
9. CTR – this stands for Click Through Rate. It is the percentage of people who click on your ad after seeing it.
10. Email Marketing – this marketing strategy involves building a list of email subscribers and then sending periodic emails to them to promote your business, products, sales, or other events.
11. Impression – this is the number of times your ad is viewed during an advertising campaign.
12. Keyword – the phrases that people type into Google when doing a Google search. If you optimise your page and/or ad for the keywords that people use, you will be more likely to get clicks.
13. Landing Page – the page that users click to from your ad. It is a crucial page for turning that user into a sale or lead.
14. Long Tail Keyword – normal keywords are two to four words long. A long tail keyword is a phrase that people type into Google search that is longer than four words.
15. Meta Description – when you look at a Google search results page, the two-line description of each website is the meta description. Optimising this for the relevant keyword can help with SEO.
16. Organic Traffic – this is the traffic you get to your website that doesn’t come from ads. It can include non-paid traffic from Google, traffic from social media, etc.
17. PPC – this stands for Pay Per Click. It is an online advertising model where you only pay when a user clicks on your ad. This means you don’t pay for ad views.
18. Quality Score – Google AdWords works on an auction basis. That auction is based on the quality score of your ad plus your budget. A good quality score will normally mean a better position for your ad.
19. Remarketing – this method of advertising involves displaying ads to people who have previously visited your website while they are browsing other sites on the internet.
20. SEO – this stands for Search Engine Optimisation. It covers actions and strategies that optimise your website for Google and other search engines. The objective is to get your website higher up search results pages.
21. SEM – this stands for Search Engine Marketing. It refers to paid advertising that promotes your website on search results pages. For example, AdWords would be part of an SEM strategy.
22. SERP – this stands for Search Engine Results Page. It is the page Google displays to users after they search. It contains organic search results and can also contain paid results, local business results, videos, Google Shopping ads, and more.

Dealing with SEO in your business can be a minefield. You get everything from companies who bamboozle you with jargon without saying anything substantial through to unsolicited emails from SEO “experts” claiming they will get you to the top position in Google.

Who can you believe when it comes to SEO?

There are two steps to answering this question. The first is to understand what you can realistically expect from an SEO strategy and the second is how you can measure results to ensure you get what was promised.

So, if the SEO company you are talking to is not talking in plain language, walk away. If the SEO company you are talking to is promising something that is not realistic, you should also be cautious. You should walk away too if the SEO company is unwilling to use common methods of measuring results (or is unsure how).

What Can You Realistically Expect from SEO?

Nobody except a very small group of Google employees knows exactly how the Google search algorithm works. In addition, the algorithm changes constantly as Google works to improve user experience.

These facts alone make it impossible to promise specific results from an SEO strategy, but there is more. In particular, there is no way of knowing what your competitors will do. One of your competitors, for example, could start spending three-times your SEO budget at the same time as you start doing SEO. How good will a promise of the top spot in Google be in this situation? Not very good at all.

Therefore, what you should expect from an SEO strategy is a clearly outlined list of actions the SEO company will take to promote your website in a Google-friendly way. This can include actions they will take on your website, content they will produce, outreach efforts they will make, keywords they will target, etc.

When this is done correctly, you should see improvements on a number of key SEO measurements.

Key SEO Measurements

Below are four key measurements you should consider when analysing the success of your SEO strategy. You will need a baseline for all of them before you begin a new SEO strategy, though, so you have something to compare to. When taken together, they will give you a rounded view of the success of your campaign.

Keywords

• The number of keywords where your website ranks on page one
• Whether the position of your website is moving up or down for specific keywords
• New keywords that your website ranks for

Website Traffic

• Users – the number of people who visit your website
• Sessions – the number of visits
• Pageviews – the number of pages viewed

You should also check and compare the traffic you get specifically from search engines – Google Analytics gives you this information. You need to do this because an increase in traffic to your website might come from a source other than Google.

Bounce Rate

Bounce rate is the percentage of people who leave your website after visiting only one page. This will give you an indication of the quality of traffic you are getting, i.e. is the SEO strategy targeting the right keywords to bring you the right traffic?

Goal Conversions

You should also set up conversion tracking on your website, so you can see the percentage of Google search visitors who convert into sales or leads.

As you can see from the above, SEO does not have to be overly complicated. So long as you have a consultant who is realistic about what can be achieved, and you measure the effectiveness of the strategy properly, your efforts should be a success.