Web Design, Website Tips, WordPress Development
Web hosting can have a significant effect on web load speed. Web hosting refers to the physical location of the server that hosts a website, and the type of server that is used. You generally want to use a server provider, closer to your local area to increase website load speeds. Additionally, the type of server used can have an effect on speed. Servers that offer more processing power can handle more requests at once, resulting in faster loading times. The amount of bandwidth and storage space offered by the hosting provider can also affect website speed. Websites with large files, such as videos or high-resolution images, may require more bandwidth and storage space in order to load quickly.
Web hosting and web speed connection are two integral components of any successful website. Web hosting is the process of providing space and access to a website on a server, typically with an internet service provider (ISP). The web hosting company will provide the hardware, software, and other services necessary for the website to be visible on the internet. Web speed connection is the speed at which data can be transmitted from the server to the user’s computer. The faster the connection speed, the quicker the website can be loaded. Factors that affect web speed connection include the type of web server, the amount of bandwidth available, and the distance between the server and the user’s computer. When choosing a web hosting provider, it is important to consider the type of web server, the amount of bandwidth, and the distance from the server to the user’s computer. It is also important to consider the cost and the customer service offered by the web hosting provider. When considering web speed connection, it is important to evaluate the type of connection, the amount of bandwidth, and the distance from the server to the user’s computer. It is also important to consider the cost and customer service offered by the web hosting provider.
- Determine your needs: Before selecting a web hosting package, you need to determine what type of website you’re looking to host. Different web hosting packages provide different levels of storage, bandwidth, and security, so it’s important to consider what type of website you’re looking to host and what the hosting package needs to provide.
- Compare hosting packages: Once you’ve determined your needs, it’s time to compare different web hosting packages to determine which one best fits your needs. Consider the storage, bandwidth, and security levels offered in each package, as well as the cost associated with the package.
- Consider customer support: When selecting a web hosting package, it’s important to consider the customer support offered by the hosting company. Look for a company that offers 24/7 customer service and a knowledgeable support staff.
- Check for reliability: Reliability is key when selecting a web hosting package. Look for a company that offers a reliable hosting platform with a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
- Read reviews: Before selecting a web hosting package, it’s important to read reviews from other customers. This will help you get an idea of how well the hosting company’s services meet customer expectations.
Upgrading to better hosting packages can significantly enhance your web speed by providing more reliable and faster servers. For example, if you upgrade to a dedicated hosting package, your website will have access to its own dedicated server, meaning that your website will not have to compete with other websites for resources, resulting in faster load times. Additionally, better hosting packages may offer improved content delivery networks (CDNs) and caching options, which can further increase web speed.
Page load speed is important because it affects both the user experience and the success of your website. When a page takes too long to load, visitors are likely to become frustrated and leave the site. This can lead to a higher bounce rate, lower conversions, and lost sales. Additionally, Google uses page speed as a factor in its ranking algorithm, so a slow loading website can have an impact on its search engine visibility.
The main benefits of using a good web host 1. Reliability: A good web host provides reliable, fast and secure hosting services. Good web hosts ensure that your website is always available and working properly. 2. Security: Good web hosts provide robust security measures to protect your website from malicious attacks and hackers. 3. Technical Support: Good web hosts provide 24/7 technical support to assist you with any queries or issues you may have. 4. Scalability: Good web hosts can provide hosting services that can scale to meet the needs of your business as it grows. 5. Cost Savings: Good web hosts typically offer competitive pricing plans that can help you save money in the long run.
Having a website host that you can call on at any time is essential and is an essential element of any website maintenance plan. If you need to update your website, add new features or change something that’s not working, you can reach out to your website host who can help you make the changes quickly and efficiently. Finally, web hosting is much more than just keeping your website up and running. With the right website hosting provider, you can benefit from features such as website security, data backup, performance monitoring and more. Choosing the right web host is essential for any business website, so make sure you do your research and pick a provider you can trust.
We offer a range of web hosting services tailored to meet the needs of your business. We also provide custom solutions if you need something more complex. Our team of experienced web designers and developers will ensure your website is up and running quickly and efficiently, providing the best possible experience for your customers.
Web Design, Website Tips, WordPress Development
Most blogs and mainstream websites use WordPress as their CMS. This CMS is used by 43% of all websites on the internet. WordPress is an excellent platform for custom website design. You do not need coding skills to host your website on WordPress; you can use free or premium themes and plugins. With WordPress, you can achieve a mobile-first design, improve site speed, and optimize SEO. You can design your website with our web design agency in Auckland and Tauranga, New Zealand and include Core Web Vitals and Lighthouse Google algorithm updates for your website to rank higher in search engines.
A faster website
Keeping up with search engine practices will ensure speed on WordPress. A fast website can be achieved with careful consideration. A faster site results in higher rankings in the SRPS, improved user experience, and a lower bounce rate. These common issues should be considered when coding your website for speed, lighthouse algorithm check, and core web vitals:
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Data movement speed is measured by the latency of the Internet connection. In order to ensure remote access across continents when hosting a custom WordPress website design, you need a minimum network latency of 200ms. The premium hosting options offered by Google Cloud Platform or shared hosting companies that reside on it are therefore advisable. As they are directly hosted on Google’s servers, you will not experience any problems with high traffic because they have a higher internet connection latency.
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Leanness – As you continue building your custom WordPress web design, you will likely add more plugins and themes. WordPress makes it possible to profile your plugins and monitor how they affect your website, and you can select them appropriately depending on your needs.
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A custom WordPress website design must include database tables. Make sure it’s clean, and you can use tools like WP-Optimize, which is an excellent alternative to phpMyAdmin. As a result, your custom WordPress website design will perform faster thanks to better database optimization.
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A free and a premium server hosting option is available for WordPress. On the same platform, you can also use Google Cloud Platform, Siteground, and KInsta depending on your needs. Most major websites use WPEngine in order to achieve maximum performance.
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If you frequently deal with websites or computers, you’ve probably heard a lot about cache. If you are unclear about its meaning, it is essentially the memory that stores temporary data on your custom WordPress website. WP-Rocket, WP Total Cache, or WP Super Cache are three of the plugins that WordPress provides to handle your cache. A fast WordPress web design depends on managing your cache.
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WordPress websites can use the HTTP/2 protocol for security and encryption needs. An SQL injection attack can cause your database to experience downtime and data breaches, for example, as interception of your site can slow down processes.
Fully matching your brand guidelines
Building a website that matches your brand fully is crucial for building brand awareness and building trust between you and your visitors. Because WordPress is highly flexible, you have a lot of room to express your creativity. Themes are available for WordPress, but creating your own from scratch is the best way to fully match your brand guidelines. Having a matching website for your brand is essential for your business.
The cost of building your own WordPress theme can reach $100,000. Getting a similar function at a lower price is still possible if you are looking for simple options, but it is not ideal for enterprise environments, and it is more typical of startups and small businesses. It is easy to integrate WordPress themes with your brand, and they are highly customizable, such as colors and fonts.
Unlimited flexibility
People choose platforms for their custom websites based on freedom. Developing themes and plugins for millions of users on open source web building platforms like WordPress provides greater flexibility. WordPress currently controls more than 40% of all websites online, demonstrating how many people prefer the platform because of its flexibility to customise their websites. In order to make WordPress as easy to use as possible, both coders and non-coders participate in building it. In this regard, it is imperative to complement the most effective platforms with tools that enable flexibility without sacrificing performance.
The Framework for WordPress is the most flexible platform available for custom web design. It gives users and coders as much information as possible to design websites to fit their needs. As a beginner, you will not have much trouble navigating it because of its adjustability. It is an exceptional alternative to more rigid platforms such as Blogger, Squarespace, Weebly, and Wix, which cause slow site speed and an inability to achieve superior design aesthetics. You can easily customise your website on WordPress Framework; hence, it is a no-brainer in decision-making regarding the best platform for your needs.
Complete control over your site
It is best to leave this type of job to professionals since beginners will have difficulty customizing their websites on WordPress. In contrast, if you want a more professional web design that fits your brand, WordPress Framework gives you both: managing content and having full control over SEO. Customization features on WordPress, such as plugins, allow you to add features like schedulers, invoices, contact forms, and payment gateways. A lot of people are surprised to learn that WordPress has its own eCommerce platform, WooCommerce.
The WordPress platform is so flexible that you can migrate between hosts easily if you run into security problems, inflexibility, price changes, or preferences change. As it provides cloud support for your data during migration, nothing about your custom WordPress web design will change. Therefore, you do not have to download and reupload your custom features.
When it comes to WordPress website design, however, coding is essential. The ability to code your own themes and plugins requires knowledge of CSS, HTML, and PHP (which is the language used by WordPress). A hosting provider’s dashboard can also provide more customization options, which will give you more control. If you don’t have prior knowledge or if the part is handled professionally, then it can be risky because it may affect the whole site’s functionality.
Reduced plugin maintenance
Little work is required regarding maintenance, and you only need to perform tasks such as:
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Updating,
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Deactivating, and
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Replacing.
A website owner must stay vigilant and update plugins as soon as possible when plugin vendors release new versions with security upgrades. Keeping your website safe from cyberattacks should be a top priority, and WordPress provides easy plugin upgrading.
You can deactivate plugins on WordPress that aren’t being used or are outdated. Deactivated plugins should also be updated since they are a potential exploit for cyber-attackers, and the same applies to themes. Deactivating and updating plugins takes less time and effort than developing them from scratch. It’s a security risk to have too many deactivated plugins, so you should delete them as soon as possible, as they can escape your mind.
Conclusion
You should look no further than WordPress Framework if you are looking to redesign or build a website, since it offers numerous advantages that are ideal for sophisticated businesses that depend heavily on search engine traffic. WordPress websites have never been easier to customise. A website-building platform like Divi and the WordPress Framework is more flexible and more controllable than most other platforms. You get unmatched support as you spend little time maintaining your plugins, and upgrades are a click away, with constant security updates provided by Automatic, a large enterprise running WordPress. We can help you build your next custom WordPress website. Get in touch today.
Responsive Web Design, Web Design, Website Tips, WordPress Development
An overview of the benefits of WordPress websites and the use of search engine optimization
The most frequently asked question when developing a new website or revamping an existing one is – which CMS platform should you use when you are developing a new website? Therefore, WordPress tends to be the most prominent answer most of the time as a result. Do you believe there is a reason why website developers are so passionate about WordPress? This is the right place for you if you feel the same way and are looking for a solution to your problem. In this post, we will take a look at 6 benefits of WordPress. It will also be discussed what types of websites you are able to create with WordPress as well as what the features and benefits of WordPress are.
There is a common misconception out there that WordPress is just a blogging platform. This isn’t true.
It should be noted that WordPress was originally designed to be a blogging tool, but has evolved over time into much more. This is a powerful content management system and website builder that has evolved into a powerful tool in the modern age.
The main benefit of WordPress is that it allows you to build various types of websites easily and quickly, regardless of the type of website. Due to this reason, WordPress has been gaining a lot of popularity over the last few years.
WordPress is a free service and there is no charge for it
There is no doubt that one of the biggest benefits of WordPress is the fact that it is free to use. In addition to being free to use, WordPress is also an open source platform. The download, installation, and use of this software are all free of charge. In addition to that, it can be used to create any type of website you want.
Starting a website is as easy as purchasing a domain name and getting a web hosting plan.
There is nothing more basic than the name of your website when it comes to a domain name. A domain name is the text that we type in the address bar of the browser in order to open a particular website such as www.austindigital.co.nz. Hosting refers to the location of all the files that go with your website. Austin Digital is always available to assist you if you need assistance. It is always recommended that you hire a WordPress expert rather than trying to do it yourself.
It is very easy to customize the themes and plugins in WordPress
In addition to its many benefits, WordPress is also equipped with a number of features. Almost all people who use WordPress for their website design are new to the concept of WordPress website design. Additionally, they do not have any previous experience in the development or design of websites or WordPress websites.
There are thousands of free website templates (themes) available on WordPress for those who are not tech-savvy and are not familiar with creating websites themselves. It is no secret that WordPress themes are available for just about every type of website out there (whether it is a blog, a corporate website, or an e-commerce site).
The majority of WordPress themes enable people to change the colors, upload logos, alter backgrounds, design stunning sliders, and perfectly customize them without having to touch a single line of code. Additionally, you can also use plugins to add custom functionality to your website in order to make it more user-friendly. There are a variety of plugins that can be used to deploy special elements on your website, such as analytics, contact forms, and membership areas.
Similar to WordPress themes, plugins can be downloaded for free as well as for a fee. It is possible to extend the functionality of your WordPress website with plugins, as well as renovate it into a completely new look and feel with plugins for WordPress.
It is no secret that WordPress and SEO go hand in hand
The third and most important benefit of WordPress is “SEO”. When building a WordPress website, high-quality standard compliance code is used to ensure that semantic markup is created as a result of high-quality standard compliance code. There are other search engines and Google that favor WordPress websites from a non-technical standpoint.
The reason for this is that search engines tend to rank WordPress sites better because of this. It is a good choice to go with WordPress both in terms of design and coding. You can also support your SEO efforts by utilizing various plugins that are available on the internet.
There Is An Easier Way To Manage WordPress
In addition to its ease of use, WordPress also offers a number of other benefits. WordPress provides users with easy access to their plugins and themes via the dashboard, making it easy for them to manage updates directly from the dashboard.
It is also possible to update your WordPress site by clicking a button that appears as soon as a new version of WordPress is available to download. In order to protect your data from hacking or accidental loss, you can make use of the WordPress backup plugin to generate backups automatically and store them on a separate system. Furthermore, you have the option to use a mobile application to manage your WordPress site in addition to managing it from your phone.
Here are five reasons why you can use WordPress with confidence
The fifth WordPress benefit that we will be offering is “WordPress Security”. There is no doubt that WordPress is a trustworthy partner when it comes to securing your website and your data. In the opinion of the experts, it is a very safe and secure platform for developing a website. Despite this, nobody knows how things can go awry on the internet, no matter how cautious they are.
There are a number of steps you can take in order to make your website more secure.
The WordPress platform makes it easy to manage different types of media on your website
In my opinion, the sixth benefit of having a WordPress website is the “Media Uploader”. Using WordPress isn’t just limited to writing text. There are many other ways to use it as well. By using the media uploader that is built into the program, you will be able to manage photos, videos, and audio files.
If you type the URL of a YouTube video, Instagram photo, Tweet, or Soundcloud audio file into the WordPress post editor, you will be able to embed that video, photo, or audio file. What are some of the ways in which WordPress can be used to create a website? Besides the ability to create simple websites, WordPress is also capable of creating full-fledged e-commerce websites as well.
WordPress – How Does It Work?
It is common knowledge that the WordPress CMS can be divided into three parts, as we all know.
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By using the post editor, you can easily create posts and pages
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Addons and plugins: Plugins enhance the functionality of WordPress. Plugin store is the best place to find any feature you want to add to your WordPress website. It only requires installation and activation.
WordPress is a good choice for who? Is It Right For You?
WordPress has the advantage of being able to be customized according to your needs, which is the benefit of having a WordPress website. If you are not a technical person, you can make it simple, if you are familiar with the WordPress features, you can make it more customized if you are a technical person.
If you are not sure whether WordPress is right for your business, you can use the following checklist to help you decide:
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WordPress can be used if you want a quick and easy-to-use website for your business but have a limited budget.
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The basics of creating a website using WordPress can be learned by watching some Youtube tutorial videos if you are not familiar with coding.
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WordPress is a great choice if you don’t want to spend money maintaining your website on a daily basis. Our web hosting services have built in plugin upgrades
WordPress Can Be Used To Create Various Types Of Websites
WordPress can be used for a variety of purposes, including:
Feel free to let me know what you think about this article by liking it or leaving a comment below. Contact Austin Digital today to learn more about how we can help you
Whether you are looking for Web Design Company in Auckland, Tauranga or Hamilton, Austin Digital is your one-stop-shop for all your website-related needs, whether you are based in Auckland, Tauranga or Hamilton. Take a look at our website development packages today to learn more!
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.
Responsive Web Design, SEO, User Interface Design, Web Design, WordPress Development
Every now and then companies tell me that their mobile-ready web traffic is still too low for them to prioritize it over the traditional PC Web. While few can doubt that the latter is still prevalent among customers, in reality, many brands are experiencing low traffic due to the poor user experience afforded to those accessing via a mobile device.
There is no doubt the World Wide Web has already started the move to mobile devices, and the shift is accelerating, with 2014 cited as the year mobile surpasses desktop Internet usage as per website magazine research. Not having a mobile Web strategy for a consumer-facing company means you’re ultimately moving against the market and no business should be swimming against such a powerful tide as that means being left behind. So what is a good mobile Web strategy? Here are five key questions you need to answer to know if your website is mobile-ready.
1: HOW FAST DOES YOUR FRONT PAGE DOWNLOAD ON A WEAK CELLULAR NETWORK?
Many companies leave website testing up to their IT department who often test sites from within a Wi-Fi network on just a handful of leading devices. But rarely do companies test their website while out and moving around through different cellular quality connections as their viewers would…until the CEO calls someone up screaming about how slow the website was on their mobile-ready device while out of the office. More importantly, your viewers will only give you 3-5 seconds in most cases to get your page loaded on their device; get it wrong and over 79 percent of viewers say they will leave a site before download finishes.
If you do have problems but your content is critical to the brand experience and campaign messaging then there are options. Using client side device detection to identify the bandwidth quality of the visitor and reduce video and image resolutions accordingly before the page even loads can have a dramatic impact on load times. Lazy loading methods can also work but give a poor user experience if they start scrolling down the page too quickly.
2: HOW WELL DOES YOUR WEBSITE AND CONTENT ADJUST TO DIFFERENT DEVICES?
The mobile landscape is diverse in terms of device screen size, resolution, and many technical features which can all have a massive impact on the user’s experience. Believe it or not some companies are still running a single PC website only to any device which is a well-documented nightmare for mobile-ready users. Those companies that have started building mobile solutions usually do it in two ways; with dedicated site templates for mobile phones or a Responsive Web Design (RWD) strategy, where the website page changes the layout to fit a variety of screen sizes. Both are relevant approaches and you should decide which is best for you based available on resources and costs (Web professionals weigh in on the great debate here). Dedicated mobile sites can be faster and more customer-centric but mean extra content management and duplicate layout and design across the screen breakpoints you define.
RWD can take advantage of one design and the same content, reducing maintenance costs, but it can be costly to build and in most cases increases the load times of your website. The future of the mobile Web is likely to be a combination of the two concepts. Adaptive Web strategies use both server and client-side detection to detail the user’s device and context, swapping out elements of a Responsive template and adapting to the visitor’s device and requirements. With this approach, it is possible to define different breakpoints depending on screen size and device functionality to adapt content within Responsive templates.
3. HOW WELL IS YOUR WEB CONTENT MEETING THE CONTEXTUAL NEEDS OF YOUR VISITOR?
Similar to changing Web content to meet device size and capability, your mobile website needs to take into account the visitor’s behavior, context, and immediate requirements which can vary dramatically based on device. Someone using a smartphone at lunch to access your website via a Twitter campaign link or a search result, for example, will likely be looking to do something very different than visitors coming to your site in the evening on a PC or tablet with a strong Wi-Fi connection at home. Similarly, behavioral patterns can emerge between particular device users. For example, an iPhone 5s user may be spending more money or time on your site over Android or older iPhone version users. Knowing this detail will allow you to segment, target and track your mobile users to specific campaign content. Getting your website right will create ‘mobile moments’ which increase conversions. You’ll need a good Web analytics product with accurate and detailed mobile information to gather this detail on your visitors and build reports to track campaign results.
4. DO YOUR MOBILE GOALS MATCH A MULTI-CHANNEL VISITOR LANDSCAPE?
Mobile Web visitors are not a single pass through the customer funnel from campaign click to purchase like the traditional PC visitor. Expecting a mobile visitor to complete a single path to conversion is unrealistic. Consumers have a lot of options now and they use their devices to search, shop, talk and share a lot of information before they make their purchasing decisions. The new multi-channel marketing strategy must take into account different conversion goals for different devices and behaviors. You may have an engagement or influencer goal for smartphones and a purchase or download goal for tablets based on your user’s behavior, as defined, by device and context. Segmenting your mobile customers and building a marketing plan to engage through their multi-channel experience with your brand requires analytics and accurate mobile device data.
5. ARE YOUR MOBILE WEB TRAFFIC AND CONVERSIONS INCREASING MONTH ON MONTH?
Last but certainly not least, if you’ve prepared, built, tested, segmented, and tracked your marketing campaigns and website for the mobile Web and your multi-channel customers as pointed out above you should be seeing an increase in overall visitors, customer satisfaction and engagement. If you build it right, they will come. If you’ve done the hard work and attracted a potential customer to your website, then you can only lose them with a poor experience that fails to take into account all of the above complexities.
