by Francois Muscat | Feb 6, 2017 | Website Design
If you are to make sure that Google views your website as reputable and trustworthy, it is important that you know all about the different trust factors and how to incorporate them into your web design.
What are trust factors?
Trust factors refer to a variety of aspects of your website that signal to Google whether it is of good quality, whether it contains helpful information, and whether it deserves a place at the top of the rankings. The two biggest and most essential trust factors include your web design and how user-friendly it is, and the quality of your content.
The different types of trust factors
Did you know that Google rates your website and its SEO (search engine optimization) based on both onsite and offsite trust factors? There are so many different trust factors that Google takes into consideration that it is impossible to list them all. However, they include a detailed ‘contact us’ page, a privacy policy, articles of varying length, external links to reputable sources, video content, and links back to your website from other trusted websites.
Why You Need them
As already mentioned, living up to Google’s standards in terms of trust factors will always lead to higher rankings which, in turn, will likely result in more visitors to your website, an increased number of conversion and eventually, a much more pleasant bottom line!
If you are looking for more information on how you can go about improving your web design and content marketing efforts to capitalize on Google’s trust factors, be sure to get in touch with WSI OMS. We’re here to help your business excel within the digital realm.
by Marianna Muscat | Jan 17, 2017 | Website Design
With the world of digital marketing constantly evolving and technology advancing at a rapid pace, giving your website a refreshing makeover could be just what you need to regain the ‘edge’ over your competition. Here are a few reasons as to why you might want to consider a website refresh, and how it is sure to benefit your bottom line:
Your business has changed or expanded
If your business has gone through significant changes over the last few months or years, your website may no longer do justice to its identity. In this case, a website refresh is not only a luxury… it’s an essential!
You have a new target market
If you have recently launched new products which have opened a new market for you in terms of audience, your original website’s look and feel will no longer be a good fit. Re-assess your target market, do more research on what appeals to them the most, and re-design your website in line with these useful findings.
You haven’t updated your website in a long time
In this instance, your site may look a little bit dated. A few simple tweaks could breathe new life into your brand and re-inspire not only your customers, but your employees too!
If you are on the hunt for reputable web design and SEO services in South Africa, turn to the WSI OMS team. For more information on how we can spruce up your digital presence, be sure to get in touch today!
by Francois Muscat | Dec 29, 2016 | Website Design
Choosing a website designer is about more than finding someone with technical skills. A good web design professional must be up to date with the latest web design trends to ensure that your website isn’t just good-looking but works. Consumers these days very often turn to the internet to find the products and services that they need, which means that your business cannot afford to be missing in the online community. If you are providing a service online, it can’t be mediocre – it must be exceptional and we’re going to help you with that. Here are a few tips for your web design:
- Make sure that it’s mobile friendly. Most online shoppers are using their smartphones, so make sure that your website is designed to work flawlessly on a variety of devices (laptops, desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones).
- Use images and videos that engage and attract customers. Content is important on your website, but include large images / graphics and videos to truly engage with the modern online user. Product-feature images and videos are particularly effective. It’s clear that these are more appealing than long drawn out pages of text.
- Keep it simple. Your design doesn’t have to be filled with flashing menus, pop-ups, and similar to be effective. Often, less is more. Keep it simple, but neat and eye-catching and you will have a winner.
- Make sure that your online payment system is safe and secure. The last thing you need is problems with online transactions. Use reputable online payment gateways. It will prove to your customers that you take their security seriously and value them as customers.
- Don’t forget to optimize! If you want your website to rank on a search-engine result in a good position, it’s important to incorporate good quality and valuable content that also engages with your consumer. Hiring a content writer or a professional copywriter will help you with this.
Web design and online marketing services offered by WSI OMS
If you are looking for professional assistance with your web design and online marketing, we are at your service. We offer a myriad of online marketing services to take your online presence and sales to the next level. For more information and advice, contact us via email or telephone at WSI OMS today.
by Francois Muscat | Dec 27, 2016 | Website Design
A business without a website used to be like a dog without a bone – disappointing. Nowadays, a business without a website is like a fish without water – unable to survive. So, whether you are starting a new business and need some web design guidance, or are planning to relaunch your existing company website, here are five steps to follow to success:
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Website planning phase
Researching the needs of your audience will go a long way to increasing your website’s popularity. Understanding what they want, what they will be searching for, and how your product or service will help them to reach their goals are of supreme importance. Not only will it give you direction in the next phases of creating your business website but it will also help you to start your keyword analysis for SEO purposes.
Gather all the information you must share on your website. Have this 100/% prepared so that there are no gaping holes or delays when you go live. Keep a document map of all the information you have gathered.
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Website design phase
This is where you can have fun with the creative planning – provided you are using basic principles of good design.
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Website functionality phase
Having developed a framework of the functional flow of your website, implement those features.
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Fixing phase
Check and double check that all the website functionality is working smoothly. Review and fix any bugs that you may encounter.
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Working site phase
Your website is well designed, your content marketing posts are ready to be published, and you are ready to go live. Sit back and enjoy the fruits of your efforts!
Whether you are starting a new business or are planning to relaunch your existing company website, our digital marketing solutions will enhance your exposure, brand awareness, leads, and sales. For more information on web design, please contact the WSI team today.
by Marianna Muscat | Dec 13, 2016 | Website Design
Getting more eyeballs to your website needs to be on top of your ‘to-do-list’. Your main goal should be to intrigue your customers with fresh, new and out-of-this-world content. Look at these easy ways to attract more people to take note of your website:
- How to attract more people?
Attracting more people to your site may look hard but it’s not at all – think of your website as being the ultimate user-friendly site for all your customers: you must take into consideration your web design and how you can improve your customer’s experiences while they are visiting your site. Think about ways of making your website interactive and informative for your customers. Also, think about writing great blog topics: great headings appeal to your audience, write about new products you are featuring or blog about the latest innovations within your brand. And remember to share your website throughout all your social media tools.
Attracting more eyeballs to your website has its perks and can benefit you in the long run: your website needs to play the instrumental role in your business as it aims to inform and enlighten your customers. People are always eager to know more about certain aspects of your business: what are your vision and mission, who were your past clients and what are your rates. If you still feel uncertain why not use an outsource digital company like WSI to make your life a whole lot easier.
For information on digital marketing and web design, contact us today.
by Francois Muscat | Nov 9, 2016 | Website Design
Whether we like it or not, visitors to our site make subconscious decisions about our business within seconds of landing on the site. We have to keep that perception positive by staying abreast of trends. Web design is a fast moving and changing industry; trends come and go often. Right now, over twenty years into commercial websites, we are still fine-tuning many aspects and moving towards a perfect user experience. These are some of the latest web design trends we are seeing this year:
Navigation
The navigation menu of a site seems to be the one thing designers agree is their biggest headache. It is a necessary element, but it is difficult to make it look good. Expect to see more inventive menus that will help optimise sites on all devices.
Scrolling
Some sites are going big on scrolling while others are eliminating it completely by having the entire content on screenshot. While scrolling seems natural and enables reading of longer texts, it can be annoying and again, all devices need to be considered. It remains to be seen which will prevail.
Flat Design
Even Google has moved towards a flat design. (See the evolution of the Google logo: http://www.news18.com/news/tech/google-logo-history-evolution-of-the-iconic-google-logo-1997-2015-1065499.html.) Designers are choosing simple designs and fonts over glossy buttons, bevelled edges, gradients, dimensionality and serif fonts.
Stock Elements
Designers are moving away from the use of stock photography and other stock elements. The trouble with stock elements is that they can appear anywhere on the internet or in publishing and your individuality is compromised. Sites are tending towards taking their own lifestyle and product images or replacing the stock photos with custom illustrations instead. 65% of senior marketing executives believe that photos, video, illustrations and infographics are core to their brand communications.
In the dynamic space of the online world, change is the only constant. For assistance with the latest web design trends on your website and more, get in touch with leading global Internet marketing franchise.
