Content Marketing
In those seconds you have to communicate what you have to offer and a compelling reason why your customer should choose you.
No small task.
Using your brand story as a guide for your homepage design will keep people engaged and clicking for more. We’ll explain how to use it and increase the likelihood your visitors convert to customers.
Why use storytelling?
We are wired to remember stories. The survival of the human race depended on our ability to communicate in a meaningful way and pass our stories on to future generations. When we hear a story, it engages the same areas of our brains as if we were experiencing it for ourselves. Our brains release chemicals like oxytocin and dopamine to help us remember. That’s a pretty powerful impact.
In order for your brand story to have meaning for your customer, you have to make them the hero of your story. Your brand is a helpful guide, there to usher your hero customer to success.
Use your brand story on your homepage to clarify your message and make it easy for your potential customer to see why you are the simple clear solution to their problem.
3 common homepage mistakes
To understand how to design a captivating homepage, let’s first review the three main issues with ineffective homepages.
1. The focus is on the product or service.
Your homepage is not the place for going over the features of your product or service and how it’s better than everyone else’s. The focus needs to be on the customer. It is the place to show how you can solve the customer’s problem or improve their life.
2. The message is unclear.
Remember those precious seconds you have to capture attention? They are wasted with a cluttered homepage often used in an attempt to communicate every last bit about your business on one page. Tell a clear story to convey your message.
3. The product is poor and doesn’t solve anyone’s problems.
If this is the case, the business has much bigger issues that a homepage isn’t going to solve.
To avoid making these mistakes, let’s look at what a homepage needs to accomplish and how using your brand story can help.
What does a successful homepage contain?
A successful homepage captures attention and succinctly answers the following questions:
- What does the business do?
- How does it help me?
- What do I have to do?
Using your brand story to answer these questions will get to the point directly with a memorable framework that speaks to your customer’s heart. People make purchases based on emotion, as evidenced by brand loyalty. Your brand story sets your brand apart from the competition. Communicating with your customer’s emotions with your brand story will speak volumes.
A highly successful example of brand storytelling (and a great homepage design) is Apple. Steve Jobs purposely developed his storytelling skills to market his product and develop loyalty. Each product release is highly anticipated as we are given half the story and left with a cliff hanger until the day of release. Clearly the power of the story is a useful tool for any brand.
How to incorporate your brand story into your homepage design
Hopefully, you have already established your brand story. If not, take a few minutes to sketch it out (or get some help from the professionals in the brand narrative).
Have you got your story in mind? You’re ready to put it to work on your homepage.
Here’s how the elements of your homepage bring your brand story together.
First, identify and empathize with the customer’s problem through headlines. Use them to communicate what benefits your customer will gain from your brand? How is your brand like a weapon? the hero can use to defeat the problem.
This is how you tell about what you do in a clear and concise way.
When writing headlines always keep in mind that companies tend to sell solutions to external problems, but customers buy solutions to internal. Speak directly to your customer’s problems to keep their attention and commitment.
Second, Establish your expert status and generate trust with testimonials, logos of companies you have worked with, awards and accolades, or media appearances. Show that there are real people behind the brand who will be there with the right tools at the right time.
Give them a plan and show them how to execute it with a call-to-action. Whether it’s a direct CTA to ‘Buy Now’ or ‘Get Started’ or a transitional CTA like ‘Get in Touch’ or ‘Learn More’.
It should be very clear what their next step needs to be. Showing that you have a clearly laid out plan increases the trust factor while decreasing the element of risk for your customers.
Last but not the least, show what success looks like with images. Show photos that illustrate, what their life will look like with your product. Set the scene so they feel like they have already made it.
Never assume people will connect the dots – you have to lay it out for them. And do yourself a favor by using high-quality images that are relevant, current, and load quickly (39% of users stop engaging with a website if images don’t load or take too long!)
And one more thing – keep your text to the point with plenty of white space. No one is going to read a long block of text!
Bring it all together with your branding – consistent use of fonts, logos, colors, and language that show your personality, appeal to the eye and are recognizable as your brand.
Also read: Website design trends in 2020
Successful homepages start with storytelling
Maximizing those few precious seconds when a visitor lands on your site is critical to converting visitors to customers. Using your brand story is one method to ensure the design of your homepage meets your customer’s needs and encourages them to take action.
The way your website is presented influences how users view your brand. Making a few simple changes to your homepage can enhance your first impression and extend your reach.
If you need a hand giving your homepage a facelift, contact Austin Digital today.
WordPress Development
Should you hire a WordPress developer to help scale your business faster
These are the main four aspects of why you would want to hire a WordPress developer.
1. A web developer focuses on web design.
At Austin Digital, we design from start to finish. Our first goal is to understand what you want. We ask a series of questions to help deliver your project with minimal changes. Our services include wireframing and prototyping, with a free mockup service. So you understand the website design you’re getting early changes can be made in the design phase. When a customer lands on your website the first impression is crucial to your business. In the first 3 seconds, a client or customer will judge your business based on its load time and it’s a visual impact, this will lead to a positive impact or a negative impact on your audience.
If your website looks outdated and has links or errors that make it not work properly this will apply a negative effect on your business and will drastically affect sales. Ultimately it means you’re missing out on leads and your competitor’s pages will offer more value to them. This not only affects your sales but also your brand appearance. A good web design should always get you leads on your page.
2. Your page should have some form of SEO strategy.
With Austin Digital our WordPress developers have built-in knowledge practices of SEO fundamentals that will be included in the design of your page. Why is this important? Well many web design elements affect how you publish content on your website. This is something that should be done from the start as it’s very hard to go back and do and it’s not something you can afford to get wrong. You will always be fighting an uphill battle to compete in the Google rankings if this is neglected. A good understanding of image optimization and good clean code is needed to get good page speed rankings. That’s why you should partner with Austin digital as our WordPress developers know what they’re doing.
3. Customer service is based on your website.
People will judge your services based on the quality of your website. Your design gives the impression of how you treat your customers. If you put effort into your web design your client knows you will put effort into helping them. Your website acts as a customer service representative. If your website flows well, is brightly colored and makes your customer feel welcome on the page. You will give them the impression they are welcome to contact you. On the negative side, an outdated or old website will make the site feel unappealing.
Think of your website as the model of your business. Everyone likes to be treated well especially when someone enters your physical location. You wouldn’t want that person to feel unwelcome. Well, it’s the same with your website you want them to feel welcome and at home when they enter your site. Why not check out our digital facelift service we take your old outdated website and transform it into a masterpiece, with modern web design techniques and SEO optimized pages.
4. Competitors have well-optimized websites
Probably the most important factor in why you should utilize WordPress developers is that your competitors are using web design agencies. They are getting help in developing their business and you want to remain in competition with them. You want your website to stand out from them if you have an old outdated low-quality website your competition will rank higher than you and get better leads. When competing with other businesses you generally have the same services and generally the same pricing structures. That’s why your website should set you apart.
You should hire Austin digital to be your dedicated WordPress developer.
When choosing your WordPress developer you want to have stability for your business and the easier it is to work with your developer the faster things will get done and the faster the work is completed the faster you can start generating leads. This will help you focus and save time. We integrate a mock-up service so you see your entire designs along with full copywriting if needed. WordPress is our specialty and all our developers and designers are fully trained in the Divi WordPress theme. We focus on client experience at the forefront. Our WordPress developer or account manager communicates directly with you. We also offer flexible development capacities starting in different stages of design example, if you wanted to add in a shop to your business all the groundwork has already been done so we can just add in products and make your eCommerce store live. This means potential outreach for your business and the ability to scale whenever needed. We will also work in a close team environment and close supervision on all aspects of the website design-build.
Web Design services we offer.
After designing thousands of WordPress websites we have collected a vast knowledge of the inner workings of WordPress which can be adapted to any business. Here is how we can help you.
Divi theme
Our agency specializes in the Divi theme. Meaning we know the ins and outs of how it works. This also helps our clients as they can change and edit their website after the initial build phase has been completed, giving you complete freedom in how you want to progress your business. Divi can also be connected with most WordPress plugins as its such a popular theme with tons of documentation.
Converting to WordPress
If you or one of your clients already has a site that is outdated or non-responsive and wants to convert it into WordPress, we’re happy to do it for you. Getting you up to date with the latest WordPress technology. We also provide premium hosting on our servers meaning fast speeds and minimal downtime.
Server migration
Most of our websites are built on a development URL, so we do not affect your live site. Once the site is ready, our WordPress Developer handles server migration to avoid the headache of you doing it yourself without
Yoast SEO setup
We use the Yoast SEO plugin on all our websites. This helps understand how you can implement SEO on all your pages, which includes data analysis on Meta tags, Alt tags, SEO Titles, and keyword density. All the pages built by Austin Digital will have SEO added to them. We also set up your google analytics and sitemap URLs so we can have your site indexed by Google from the start.
Page speed optimisation
We can help your sites load faster, by using up to date techniques like Gzip compression, minifying CSS, and Javascript. Image optimisation and CDN’s. We also use our servers so you avoid load times of shared hosts. Caching plugins will also be optimized to help your website’s loading speeds.
WordPress Security.
We secure every website with WordFence. We Also keep WordFence updated automatically so you don’t have to worry if your website is secure. Our servers are also monitored 24/7 to avoid hacking attacks. We also only used thoroughly tested plugins from trusted developers.
WooCommerce
Our team can handle product setup, payment gateways, shipping standards, and other customizations upon request. Check out WooCommerce
Graphic Design
We have a team of graphic designers that are ready to work not just on your website, but also your brand. We want your website to be consistent across all media forms. So let us help you set up your brand identity requirements including, logo design, business cards, point of sale, apparel, signage, and print. In our web development, we like to implement the following factors into our builds.
Easy to navigate Website:
When customers or clients visit your website, they need to access the information they need quickly. If we want the leads to remain on your website, we need to have easy to use menus. Your clients don’t want to struggle with complex menus. If your navigation is too complicated it will discourage your customers from engaging with your pages.
Remember visitor’s attention spans are short, and we want to have a simple, self-explanatory navigation menu so they can also the information they need fast, also if you have an eCommerce store a good search function should be easily found and provide the correct search results.
Responsive Web Design
With over 50% of website traffic now coming from mobile devices is more important than ever to your website designed for all devices. Including smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers. If you want the call to actions and clients to engage with your site each device should be optimised for the maximum viewing experience, Our WordPress Developer know how to make your business work on all mediums.
Brand Guidelines
One reason why web design is important is that it creates consistency across your whole business. This consistency is important as it helps your audience build brand recognition and keep them engaged with your website. A style guide is also important when considering your social media posts. A style guide should keep a consistent color, format, typography, and logo formats. This ensures that every time someone views your website all your elements look and feel the same, and you set yourself up as a reliable business.
Visuals that promote the value of your business.
Video and images are more likely to keep visitors to your website engaged. When considering imagery think of your target audience and what kind of message you want the image to portray. Video is a great way of explaining or introducing a new product or service. Why not introduce yourself with an about us video, this is a great way of letting your clients build up trust with you and your products by putting a face to your brand.
A word of caution though, too many images may become distracting to your website visitors and too many images make it difficult to read. Your page needs a good balance between text and image. Why not let us design you a free website mock-up to see how text and image can create a perfect balance. When considering stock images spend quality time searching for the right image that reflects your brand. Your images should also be optimised for the web, don’t use high-resolution images as they will slow down your website speed and affect your Google ranking.
Good Copywriting
Your audience will be visiting your website to get important information this information must be written to a high standard but also in a way that your readers can understand. Writing good copy keeps your visitors engaged and keeps them happy when they can find what they are looking for. If you’re struggling for good copywriting we can provide a storytelling/writing service to help get your business ideas across fluently.
Call to Actions
We always want to convert our website visitors and a key way of doing this is by placing a strategic call to actions. We want our audience to act. These buttons fit into the design seamlessly and inspire your audience to engage with your product or service. We want these call to actions to stand out so your eye is drawn to engage. By using Google Analytics and Google tag manager we can tell you exactly how your audience is engaging with these buttons and will give you a good idea of where you should spend your marketing budget.
Your website plays a vital role in determining how your audience reacts to your website
So that is why you must have a proper WordPress developer and designer design your website. At Austin Digital we have over 20 years of experience in designing websites and it worked with hundreds of clients on their WordPress Builds. We are a full-service digital agency, meaning we can help design all of your business assets as well as marketing them. We understand the importance of providing a website that your customers will love.
If you’re ready to start building your new dream website contact us or give us a call on (09) 950 5001 and our managing director will get the ball rolling. We look forward to hearing from you.
SEO, Web Design, Website Tips
What Is It like to Work in Web design?
Being a web designer means working with digital media to present information in a visually appealing manner. Web design is a career path for creative thinkers who can display information effectively and aesthetically. So, what is it like to be a website designer, and what are some expectations to have before getting involved?
Website Designing
The main responsibility of a web designers is to create sites that present information in a clear and engaging way. Web designers should think creatively and be able to work with business clients so that the final website design tailors to user experience.
It is important to understand that web designers are not the same as web developers. The developers focus more on the technical side of web development. They usually take the designs from the designer and construct it into a functioning new website.
Overall, getting involved in internet design means working with clients, designing websites, and practicing effective time management.
Visual Design
It goes without saying that you should have a knack for designing if you want to get into this particular business. One of the main focuses is to understand typography, color, and grid systems to produce a visually appealing website. Visual design is one of the key elements to web design, so it is important that you enjoy creating different arrangements.
Website Language
A Web Designer should understand different website languages to have success in their careers. There are three kinds of languages that company websites utilize: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Although HTML and CSS are not technically programming languages, all three help develop the visual elements of a website. So, before going into web design, you should know more about these languages.
Marketing and SEO
Today, many businesses utilize their websites as advertising. Creating a good online image can increase the number of customers. Therefore, designers need to have some knowledge of marketing so that clients can see more traffic within their site.
Knowledge of SEO, also called search engine optimization, is crucial in design. By inputting certain terms onto an internet page, the site can achieve more traffic when potential customers type the same terms into search engines. Businesses can use google analytics to see how many people view the site or come across their page.
Communication, Time Management, and Clients
Getting into this kind of design is not all about the composition of internet pages. You also need to have a good grasp on time management and a good understanding of communication with clients. Without clients, you cannot have work. Therefore, you should have good verbal communication skills as well as time management.
Getting Involved
If you are knowledgeable about designing websites in New Zealand and are very serious about working with web design sites, we are here to help. There are many businesses all over New Zealand that want fresh minds to bring new creative ideas. Let us help to present your information in a digitally creative manner.
So, if you are interested in this form of design in New Zealand, we can help here at Austin Digital. For all your design & development we can give you the perfect experience with Austin Digital. Contact us for more information!
Web Design
Web design is constantly changing from year to year. Here are some web design trends 2020.
Hand-Drawn Fonts
Just look on Instagram to see how viral custom hand-drawn fonts are becoming in recent months. These unique typefaces add character and charm as well as a good bold identity that can be used across your brand. It can help you win over younger audiences, with a new powerful, and distinctive look.
Organic Shapes
Gone are the days of strict grid layouts and sharp edges – 2020 will adopt curved lines and soft, organic shapes. This can be highly effective in producing some stand out design with vivid colors, but also can be adapted for spectacular results in the minimal look.
Overlapping Text and Images
Text that slightly overlaps accompanying images has become a popular effect for blogs and portfolios. Combining beautiful images and nice/readable text can result in an eye candy touch that will get your user’s attention.
Duotone
These pared-down, two-tone color schemes look cool and contemporary, Duotones are very similar to color overlays, but this technique uses two colours to overlap the whole image from one side of the color spectrum to another. Not only does the Duotone give the photo a refreshing look, but it can also set the mood based on the chosen colors. Works very well with Bold colour choices.
More companies are turning to illustrators and graphic artists to create bespoke illustrations for their websites. After years dominated by flat design and straightforward minimalism, adding illustrated touches to your site is a great way to inject a little personality.
That concludes our top Web design trends in 2020
Web Design
Towards the end of the year, Chrome v62 will be released, bringing with it many new changes for both users of the browser and site owners. The biggest change will be the marking of non-HTTPS sites.
These sites will be marked with text input fields and will automatically be viewed in incognito mode as ‘not secure’. Google has started rolling this out, by reminding all website owners that they need to switch to HTTPS or their site will be marked like this.
Further to the marking of non-HTTPS sites, website owners will also have to incorporate SSL Certificates to secure the information being shared between their server and their visitors. If this isn’t incorporated it means that sensitive information could be exposed to the internet. HTTPS will be the norm in due course, so there is no need to worry about transferring across.
There is a problem with SSL Certificates though. Not all websites which have this certificate can or should be trusted. Luckily for us though, Google has come up with a solution for this.Users who are worried about which sites can be trusted should look no further than the URL. Look for letters in the URL which seem out of place, such as numbers in the place of letters, or letters made to look like numbers. Even look out for additional letters or numbers that shouldn’t be there. There are fully comprehensive guides out there which can help you distinguish between safe sites with an SSL Certificate and unsafe ones with the certificate.
You can also look out for an EV SSL Certificate (Extended Validation Certificate). This will show that this site is completely trustworthy. A trusted website will have the company name next to the URL, such as Apple, Inc (URL). Unfortunately, not all SSL certified sites will have this, but most of the big name companies will. It will only be a matter of time before more and more smaller sites are also becoming EV SSL certified.
However, despite all of this, it is important to note that phishing sites can hijack sites which already have SSL certification in place. This can add the appearance of being a legitimate site, even though they are not. These phishing sites can also use free (and non-legitimate) SSL certificates to make themselves appear more trustworthy.
If you’re worried about the SSL certification as Chrome moves to its new version, you can access a full guide to enabling HTTPS for your site, and how to avoid your site being marked as ‘not secure’. It is always worth keeping up to date with the latest phishing scams and makes sure that your site is fully protected from hackers to ensure the security of your servers, and your visitor’s data.
