by Marelise da Silva | Jan 7, 2015 | Website Design, Website Optimization
When discussing your marketing strategy you may not immediately think about website design, but the way your website looks and the way it is structured is hugely important. Many studies have shown people judge a company based on the way its website looks and will also make an immediate judgment about your brand based on what they see when first visiting your site. You only have one chance to make a first impression with your website, which is why it’s recommended to invest in professional web design.
Why web design matters in regards to marketing:
- If your site is poorly designed, you can lose customers. As mentioned earlier, studies show people judge a company based on how its website looks. If they don’t think it looks legitimate or credible they can easily go elsewhere and make a purchase.
- If your website is difficult to navigate, visitors won’t hang around for long trying to figure it out. In this era of instant information, peoples’ attention spans are shorter than ever. Anyone who visits your website needs to be able to find the information they want easily and quickly.
- Offline advertising undoubtedly leads to people checking out your website. A whopping 90% of people investigate something online before making a purchase, so rest assured that people will be visiting your site before purchasing a product or service.
Whether you need a brand new website or your current website needs to be revamped, WSI has a team of web design professionals who are ready to help improve your website and become more successful.
For more information about professional web design services from WSI or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us today. We look forward to hearing from you.
by Marelise da Silva | Dec 18, 2014 | Website Design
Living in a world where trends seem to change every day, it is important to know that the world of web design is no different. Companies and brands are forced to constantly update their websites and blogs in order to fit with and cater to the needs of their users.
Web design is an incredibly crucial part of your digital marketing strategy as it is basically the head of the entire operation- your online face so to speak- so it is vital you know which web trends to follow and which to ignore.
Top nine website design trends to follow:
- Parallax design. This is a trend you will see become more and more popular with the websites of big brands and large corporations as it is based upon solid, creative typography, fluid scrolling and bold imagery. It is a wonderful way to make a big impact.
- This is a web design trend that never goes out of style. Good quality content is the key to achieving successful Search Engine rankings and the Search Engine crawlers agree with us. Find out all about Search Engine Optimisation for your website.
- Responsive web design. This works beautifully with smartphones and tablets and with these tools being the most popular way to surf the net today, it is a good idea to cater to them.
- Flat design. This is a simple, clean and modernistic web design concept that has become very popular of late. It is targeted at a simple and efficient user friendly experience and is popular because in today’s fast-paced world, time is of the essence.
- Fixed Navigation toolbar. This is a feature of web design that needs to remain constant as it makes navigation of any site a whole lot easier no matter what the design.
- No longer the boring black and white piece of paper they used to be, newsletters are an effective part of email marketing and can now be presented in all kinds of interesting and visually pleasing ways.
- Presentation videos. These are perfect for delivering information in a short space of time and can be fun and interactive for customers when browsing.
- Typography. Redefined by smartphone apps and the like, finding the right type for your website is easier than ever and can totally change your web design.
- Infographics. This is a great, creative way to present information and content that may not be so interesting in typed word.
At WSI OMS, we have a firm understanding of all the components necessary for web design excellence. We can create a digital marketing strategy for any business, no matter what the size, that will see visible increases in brand identity, recognition and sales. To learn more about our world class services, contact us.
by Marelise da Silva | Dec 15, 2014 | Website Design, Website Development
The world of web design saw a lot of decision changes in 2014 with the release of iOS7 and Windows 8 tablets, causing a rise in the popularity of flat design websites and websites that were far more visually stimulating. At the same time, large landing pages with massive images and strong, yet simple, calls to action became the standard for businesses to market their goods and services in the digital world.
In 2015, we may not be looking at an enormous shift in the web design landscape as a whole, but with digital consciousness moving towards creating a unified brand experience for customers across a wider variety of extremely fragmented platforms, content marketing and search engine optimisation among other things are going to become more important than ever.
Five web design predictions for 2015:
- Nearly flat design. Flat design has become increasingly popular in recent times and will continue to do so in the future due to the fact it is easier to understand, aesthetically pleasing and easier to develop and make responsive. Nearly flat design has a “less is more” approach which will continue to grow in 2015 as it focuses on content and products as opposed to background design elements.
- Micro UX/Transitions. Paying attention to the smaller details of a site will create a more enjoyable online customer experience. It is the fun, seemingly insignificant features which should not be overlooked in web design going forward. You can create a wonderfully memorable experience with UX effects and transitions.
- Tiled navigation. More and more sites are implementing preview in the form of tiles and the simple reason for this is that images are more captivating and intriguing than text. Images create the feeling of walking into an actual store and will encourage users to complete a desired action before navigating away from your site.
- Device agnostic design. It is crucially important going forward that website designs function properly on all devices. With an increase in the use of mobile devices, it is important to consider the amount of screen resolution combinations, input methods, browser capabilities, and connection speeds to create the most enjoyable experience for visitors.
- Multi-page websites. Smart phones have created a love for scrolling, meaning users prefer to scroll rather than click. It would seem that multi-page web design, which allows users to view all you have to offer in a single page as opposed to clicking and navigating to multiple pages, will give websites more SEO power in the future.
At WSI OMS, we offer web design services of a world class standard to ensure the digital face of your brand is up to date and professional. To learn more about our range of digital marketing services, contact us today.
by Marelise da Silva | Dec 11, 2014 | Website Design, Website Optimization
In a world where technology is advancing at such a rapid rate, you may find the web design for your business website is not user friendly for customers with older browsers and mobile devices with little available memory. Having a website that is not 100% compatible and user friendly for all could have a drastic effect on the amount of traffic crossing your site and you could be losing the opportunity to make connections with a large portion of your target market.
Effective and efficient websites are a crucial part of your digital marketing strategy and the good news is there are a number of ways you can make your site speedier and easier to use without having to compromise your content and visual quality.
Five tips for creating user friendly websites
- Fewer requests. The visual assets and icons which make up your user interface should be small and optimised. Ideally they should be embedded Base64 encoded images inside your CSS and you should try and limit your requests to one CSS file, one HTML file and one JavaScript file.
- Using templates. Templates used to construct HTML should work on the server as well as on the browser client. This will drop your page download time.
- Load what you need. It is important to remember web browsers will only open a certain number of connections to a host at any one time. This means if you have a long scrolling page where everything is set to download at once, then only some of the content will download. Make sure you load only what needs to be seen.
- When including photographs and retina images, it is a good idea to scale them down first. This can be done with tools such as Photoshop’s ‘Save for web’ feature. You can resize your images on the browser at a later date and will be left with a high resolution image saved at 70-80% of the original quality.
- Use software such as Fireworks or ImageOptim to change your colour pallet from 24bit colour to 256bit colour. There will be no discernable loss in the quality of your image and this can help make images up to 50% smaller provided you are using PNGs with alpha transparency.
At WSI OMS, we understand the importance of fast, user friendly web design and we are well equipped with the knowledge and expertise necessary to help you achieve it. To learn what we can do for your business, contact us today.
by Marelise da Silva | Nov 17, 2014 | Website Design
Launching a new web design is an incredibly stressful process. With all the different components that make up a great website, you cannot afford to let yourself down with silly landing page errors. Thankfully, there are a few ways you can test your landing page to be sure that everything is in place for the launch of your company website.
Landing pages have two major functions. They need to inform visitors on the specific services offered by the company, as well as tell visitors what they can gain from doing business and partnering with the company. The general rule is that a website has 4 seconds to get a person’s attention, so test your web page using these tips and you are sure to succeed.
Five ways to test a landing page
- Outsider perspective. The best way to ensure your landing page fulfils all its requirements is to get a fresh pair of eyes to look at it. Get the outsider to evaluate the message and determine whether or not the services and benefits are clear.
- Keep it simple. Make sure your page is not too crowded and cluttered and trying to say too much. Check that all your buttons, icons, pictures and infographics are simple to use and understand.
- Make sure the language you use on your landing page is easy to understand as an industry outsider. Try to avoid jargon and making your page sound like an infomercial with words like “we”, “our” and “us.” Your focus should be the client, so use words like “you” and “your.”
- Listen to your audience. Ask your users what elements are distracting and unnecessary and try removing them to see if it makes a difference. All landing page elements should ultimately support the Call to Action.
- Test different aspects of your landing page in order to get email signups or even monetary gain. Always pay attention to market trends and your competition and try to stay ahead of your game. Get rid of elements in your landing page that are not delivering the results you wanted.
Your company website is the most important part of your digital marketing strategy as this is the face of your online campaign. By partnering with WSI OMS, you ensure your web design will be of the highest quality and present a professional and informative window into your business for prospective customers. WSI OMS is also able to assist you in developing a digital marketing strategy that is ideal for your business, handling everything from social media marketing to mobile marketing and more.
For more information on the variety of services we offer, contact us today.
by Marelise da Silva | Oct 29, 2014 | Website Design, Website Optimization
You may or may not be aware that making use of circles in web design is actually a fairly new development. The reason for this is that up until a little while ago, it was very difficult to create circular elements without making use of images, but with developments like CSS, we are seeing more and more circles cropping up in the world of web design.
Some people may argue it is more difficult to use circles when it comes to effective and functional web design, but when compared to the older, more box-like designs, it seems that using circles is an excellent way to make your web page look modern, fresh and visually exciting. A dynamic and aesthetically pleasing website is the perfect way to boost your digital marketing strategy.
How to use circles in web design
Incorporating circles in simple elements, such as a logo, is a simple way of creating a clean and classy image. The circle holds a world of meaning and carries a lot of symbolism in one simple form. Dating back to ancient times, humans have used the circle in artistic expression which is why designers today are using it more and more to create maximum impact.
Circles are also becoming increasingly popular for navigation in web design. The popularity of touch screen devices have exploded in the last few years, making the circle a logical choice for navigation patterns as people intuitively associate the circle with buttons. This is also effective when it comes to a call for action as the circular shape creates a sense of enticement.
Circular icons have always been popular in web design as they are image based and are therefore easier to incorporate. Circular icons are a timeless favourite and add a lot of character and sophistication to the overall look of your website; they are eye catching and can be used to promote your social media.
For web design services that will give your business the image it needs to make an impact, invest in the services of the professional team at WSI OMS. We specialise in all aspects of digital marketing, taking into consideration the needs and goals of your brand. Contact us for more information.
