Back in the Twentieth Century, marketing messages were broadcasted out to the audience, in the Twenty First Century the audience are calling the shots and in order to be successful, businesses need to respond to these changing demands.
The €rules' that used to govern website design are changing at a rapid pace. What would have been good advice when your business had its website built is possibly outdated now. A solid static website may have initially won you customers and a strong position in the search engines, but if it hasn't been updated for a year or more, it is unlikely to be delivering the same results now.
Mobile Responsive Website Design
One vital factor, which was possibly not mentioned if you had a website built more than two years ago, is a Mobile Responsive website design. Advances in mobile and tablet technology has completely altered the consumer experience of using the internet. People can now access the internet whenever and where ever they are.
People enjoy the convenience that mobile devices offer; they can deal with emails on the commute to work, so they are cleared before they enter the workplace. They can order their grocery shop on the way home, or research a potential client whilst waiting for a meeting. If your website is not mobile responsive, you could be missing out on a significant amount of potential business.
If you are unconvinced that your customers are using mobile devices, check your Google analytics for an unbiased insight into your online audience. Then use this data to inform future decisions.
Speed is more Critical
As we do move to an increasingly mobile world, speed is of greater importance. People are less willing to wait for a site to load. If you have complex functionality on your website, it could be compromising the loading time. This means many people who have clicked on your website will have clicked away again before they even saw your page and its fantastic features. There are tools to check your website's loading time and ways to reduce this, but you may also be advised to remove some content in order to achieve better results.
Improve Visual Content
The reason that YouTube, Pinterest and Instragram are so popular is because they communicate using visual content. People prefer to consume information in a visual format. This can be video content, infographic illustrations, images, animation or pictures depicting step by step instructions.
It is easier to encourage engagement with your audience through visual media. In a global market, visual content can also break down language barriers, so you can communicate your message to people with whom you don't share the same spoken or written words.
Visual content shouldn't be presented at the exclusion of written copy, but the two should work together and complement each other. If you are planning investment in a new website design, ensure that you work with the website design company to include multimedia content.
Prepare Copy for your Target Audience
Until recently, the focus has been to ensure copy is keyword rich and fully optimised for the search engines. SEO took priority over the user experience, but the perspective has changed. Any copy on your website, whether you main page copy, blogs or articles, should be written specifically for your target audience. It should aim to connect with these website visitors and create a picture in words that they can identify with.
As technology develops, the search engines also become better able to identify the factors that lead to a good user experience. As they aim to deliver the more relevant and high quality results for any search that is made, their success depends on listing the best websites. Websites which are responding to changing demands, which make it easier to access and use and are focused on delivering quality to website visitors, will be rewarded.
If you would like to find out more about website design and the new priorities, contact Urban Media http://urbanmedia.co.uk/web-design-uk/
The €rules' that used to govern website design are changing at a rapid pace. What would have been good advice when your business had its website built is possibly outdated now. A solid static website may have initially won you customers and a strong position in the search engines, but if it hasn't been updated for a year or more, it is unlikely to be delivering the same results now.
Mobile Responsive Website Design
One vital factor, which was possibly not mentioned if you had a website built more than two years ago, is a Mobile Responsive website design. Advances in mobile and tablet technology has completely altered the consumer experience of using the internet. People can now access the internet whenever and where ever they are.
People enjoy the convenience that mobile devices offer; they can deal with emails on the commute to work, so they are cleared before they enter the workplace. They can order their grocery shop on the way home, or research a potential client whilst waiting for a meeting. If your website is not mobile responsive, you could be missing out on a significant amount of potential business.
If you are unconvinced that your customers are using mobile devices, check your Google analytics for an unbiased insight into your online audience. Then use this data to inform future decisions.
Speed is more Critical
As we do move to an increasingly mobile world, speed is of greater importance. People are less willing to wait for a site to load. If you have complex functionality on your website, it could be compromising the loading time. This means many people who have clicked on your website will have clicked away again before they even saw your page and its fantastic features. There are tools to check your website's loading time and ways to reduce this, but you may also be advised to remove some content in order to achieve better results.
Improve Visual Content
The reason that YouTube, Pinterest and Instragram are so popular is because they communicate using visual content. People prefer to consume information in a visual format. This can be video content, infographic illustrations, images, animation or pictures depicting step by step instructions.
It is easier to encourage engagement with your audience through visual media. In a global market, visual content can also break down language barriers, so you can communicate your message to people with whom you don't share the same spoken or written words.
Visual content shouldn't be presented at the exclusion of written copy, but the two should work together and complement each other. If you are planning investment in a new website design, ensure that you work with the website design company to include multimedia content.
Prepare Copy for your Target Audience
Until recently, the focus has been to ensure copy is keyword rich and fully optimised for the search engines. SEO took priority over the user experience, but the perspective has changed. Any copy on your website, whether you main page copy, blogs or articles, should be written specifically for your target audience. It should aim to connect with these website visitors and create a picture in words that they can identify with.
As technology develops, the search engines also become better able to identify the factors that lead to a good user experience. As they aim to deliver the more relevant and high quality results for any search that is made, their success depends on listing the best websites. Websites which are responding to changing demands, which make it easier to access and use and are focused on delivering quality to website visitors, will be rewarded.
If you would like to find out more about website design and the new priorities, contact Urban Media http://urbanmedia.co.uk/web-design-uk/