Month: November 2017

Web designer Santee knows that a website must have added functions in order to reach the target audience and meet its objective. Decades ago, the only way of adding more functionality was to code the desired functions into the web design. This is no longer the case. You can add simply any function you need using a plugin. If you are using WordPress as your CMS, you will find that your work as a web designer will be easier thanks to the thousands of plugins that are available. But how do you choose the plugin to install?

Criteria for picking the best plugin
It is very important to have the best plugin installed on your website. The reason for this is because a bad plugin can easily turn your site into a waking nightmare. The wrong plugin can make your website vulnerable to hacking or even cause your site to crash unexpectedly. To find the best plugin to add to your web design Santee, here are some things you should look at.

• Number of downloads. The more downloads a plugin has the higher the chance that it is a stable and reliable plugin. Steer clear of plugins with just a handful of downloads.
• Plugin ratings. The best thing about WordPress plugins is that they are rated by real users. The higher the ratings are the better.
• Strength of support. How much support does the plugin get? A good plugin should be updated regularly and you should be able to get technical support easily.

You will find the above information on the download page of each plugin that you are considering. You should also not forget to consider the credibility of the author of the plugin.

What the plugin should do
While still deciding on the plugin to download, you need to think of what the right plugin should be able to do. A web designer Santee has to consider how the plugin will make his website work. Before you start searching for plugins, define your goals. These goals will help narrow down your search to the ultimate plugin.

Compare
Last but not least, before settling on a plugin, you need to look at what other similar plugins have to offer. The features of each plugin will be found on the download page. You also need to consider what people are saying about the plugin.

The right plugin will improve you web design Santee. Don’t be in a hurry to install one. Be sure that the plugin you are considering is what will give you what you need and in the best way possible. You also need to note that the paid plugins are not always the best.

Web designer Santee

Web design Santee alone will not give you the ranking or traffic you need. What brings more people to your website is your web content. Although creating great content is a choice, investing more time and work required in creating great content will yield great results. Great content will boost your SEO rankings, gain more leads/traffic and boost sales. But how do you create great content? This post strives to help you do exactly that.

Create original content
The first step in creating great content is to create original content. Copying the content on other websites will only serve you for so long. Google and other search engines monitors for duplicate content. If you plagiarize, you risk getting your website banned. Copied content is also repulsive to visitors. As a web designer Santee, you have to make sure that the content you post is not only of great content but also original. Don’t be afraid to hire professional writers to help with content creation. The two rules you need to remember is that you get what you pay for and if something is not useful, it is not worth saying.

Create strong headlines
People are not interested in huge blocks of text. They want content that is easy to digest. In addition to using bullets, white spaces and smaller paragraphs, you must invest in strong headlines. 80% of the people who get to your content will only read the headlines. If the headlines are not interesting, they will click away. The headline of your content is the most important part of your article.

Make the content actionable
Is the content helpful to your target audience? This is the question you need to ask. The easiest way to get high bounce rates is to create content that is irrelevant. You may have the facts but if the facts are inapplicable to your target audience, the content is not worthy placing on your web design Santee. Your content should solve a problem or give advice. If not so, the content should entertain.

Be accurate
There is nothing worse than your audience finding out that you were wrong in your claims or you lied to them. Always note that hundreds of people will read your content and one of those readers will be well versed in what you are talking about. Be accurate in reporting and sourcing of information. You also need to be careful who you link to.

Add images and video
To further enhance your content and your web design Santee, you should add images and videos in your content whenever possible. Images and videos add engagement. Images will enhance the reading experience of your audience.

Make regular updates
If yours is not a blog where you need to post new content several times a week, you should make regular updates. Nobody wants to spend time reading stale content.

The above are the important things you need to do to create great content. As a web designer Santee, you must not be afraid to outsource content writing to the professionals.

Web design Santee

Web design Santee calls for educated decisions. You cannot copy everything that your competitor is doing in web design and expect to get away with it. Success in web development calls for uniqueness. But getting the inspiration you need is hard. If you need a little help in web design, you need to use a platform that offers the support you need. WordPress is one of those platforms. Here are the main reasons why you should consider building your website in WordPress.

Countless themes
As a web designer Santee, the hardest step is that of deciding on the layout to use. Most designers get stuck in this stage. As a result, some even choose to copy layouts used by their competitors. With WordPress, this doesn’t need to be the case. There are so many unique theme out there that you can use for the layout of your website. What is even better is the fact that you can tweak the themes further to match your ideas. There are both free and premium themes available.

Loads of plugins
Even with the layout in mind, deciding on the features to add on your website can be hard. At times, to add certain features, you are required to redesign your website. You also have to spend a lot of time in coding. WordPress plugins are there to save you time when adding features to your website. There is a good chance you will find the plugin that offers the function that you need. There are more than 10,000 plugins for you to choose from. Whether you need photo slideshows or social media sharing, you will find a plugin for that.

Easy to update
One thing you will notice once you create your web design Santee in WordPress is that updating your website will be easy. The core software will be updated for you automatically. That includes the plugins and the themes. Second, adding content on your website is very easy. No coding is needed.

High ranking
If you have been keen on search engine optimization, you may have learnt that Google loves WordPress website. This is because these websites are updated frequently and their content is well structured. As a result, you will notice that your WordPress website will rank quickly when compared to the static website.

Huge support community
WordPress has a huge support community that you can turn to for any help. It is for this reason that more people use WordPress in web development.

As a web designer Santee, you want to use a platform that makes your work easier. WordPress is that platform. All you have to do is create an account on WordPress, buy a domain name and get a reliable hosting service.

Web design Santee

Web design Santee calls for more than using the best CMSs available on the market. Yes everyone can create a website but not everyone can create a website that meets its purpose. If you plan on becoming the best web designer, there are a couple of skills you will have to acquire. Here are the top skills that every web designer Santee must have.

Design software
Whether you are building websites completely on WordPress or coding it from scratch on a notepad, you will still need to use design software. To start with, you will need a good tool to edit your images. You cannot use images as they are. You have to resize and also refine them to get the best appeal. Web design tools, on the other hand, will make it easy for you to fix errors in your code and also make coding easier and faster.

Understand HTML and CSS
Although the web development platforms like WordPress have eliminated the need for coding, for you to be a great web designer Santee, you will have to learn more about HTML and CSS. These are the main languages used in web design. There will come a time when you will have to fine-tune your themes. Your options will be limited if you don’t know anything about HTML and CSS. You should also make the effort of learning more about JAVASCRIPT. The skill will be a valuable bonus.

Time management
Being a web designer means you will be your own boss. When there is no one breathing down your neck, it is very easy to take unnecessary breaks and postpone things. That is why you need to have great time management skills. Whether you want to go freelance or want to work for a design company, to succeed in web design Santee, you must have great time management skills. You need to master the art of prioritizing as well as learn how to track your work.

Communication
You will have to communicate with clients to understand what they are looking for. That is why mustering great communication skills is necessary. If you are not able to communicate clearly with your clients, you will find yourself dealing with loads of revisions and also loosing great clients. Be a good listener and learn how to explain technical terms in an easy to understand way.

Online marketing
Yes your job as a web designer Santee is to create remarkable websites but these websites must also be optimized for online marketing: SEO, social media and among others. This means you need to gain a few skills on online marketing.

These are the key skills you will need to be a successful web designer. Even so, you still need to keep researching. Trends in web design Santee keep on changing. It is your duty to keep up with the changes else you will lag behind.

Web design Santee

Web design Santee determines how attractive your online business is. You have to think of your website as your business premises. If it doesn’t look professional and welcoming, it will cost you clients.  Although creating a web design is much easier today than it used to be a decade ago, there are still a few rules you have to follow.

Simplicity is the key
Putting together too many design elements will only succeed in confusing your audience. This is not something you want to deal with. Having too much on one page will only frustrate your visitors. Frustrated visitors will click away from your site. Simplicity is beautiful. This is something you should strive for as a web designer Santee. Your web pages need to be simple. This will make them easier to use.

Navigation has to be intuitive
There are only a few things that are more frustrating than visitors not being able to find their way around your website. The design of your website needs to be intuitive. Visitors should not guess where the contact page is or other content. They should find all the information they need with ease. This is the key to keeping them longer on your website and getting your point forward. Are the pages well-organized? This is the question you should ask before implementing your web design Santee.

Consistency is paramount
The last thing you want is for your visitors to feel like they are on a new website each time they open a new page. Your web design needs to be consistent. The colors, font types and sizes and the overall design should be the same on all pages. Consistency throughout your website will make navigation easier.

Colors are fundamental
Your choice of colors can make or break your website. There are so many websites out there that are too painful to be on. The colors make it hard for you to read the text and links. This is not something you want for your website. The colors you pick should not clash and they must also have a strong contrast between the background and the text.

Being responsive is a must
Did you know that having a responsive web design Santee will improve your search engine rankings? This is because the likes of Google are giving ranking priority to websites with mobile friendly designs. If your website cannot be viewed correctly on different screens, you will not only impact your ranking poorly but also lose potential clients.

Browser compatibility is necessary
People don’t use the same browsers to access the net. You have to understand that your visitors will have browser preferences. You should then develop a website for multiple browsers.

Errors are unacceptable
Last but not least, as a web designer Santee, you have to make sure there are no errors on your website. A great website can be tarnished by tiny errors. Keep testing your website and fix all the errors. Pay attention to broken links, typos as well as images that don’t load properly.

Web design Santee

Web design Santee needs to adhere to the standards. This doesn’t mean you copy everything your competitor is doing but rather adhere to the industry standards. There are certain elements that visitors expect to find at the same spot. For example, when searching for the ‘search box’, users assume that it is will be on the top part of the web page. Adhering to the standards can make the experience of your visitors better. Here are a few standards you should consider using.

Logo placement
When designing a website, you have to start by designing your business logo. This is because a great website must have the logo and the web elements should match with the logo colors. With the logo in hand, you need to note that most websites have their logo on the top left. As a web designer Santee, you also need to note that the logo is also clickable. Often, clicking on the logo will redirect to the ‘Home Page’.

Contact
Your website must have the contact information. If visitors like what you are offering, how will they contact you? The contact information has to be visible and usable. On more than 44% of the websites, the contact button is usually on the top right side of the web pages. Although this placement is common, it is not the standard. You should, however, consider using it.

Main navigation
Your users should be able to find their way around your website. That is why every web design Santee should include a clear navigation. On more than 88% of the websites, the main navigation is usually located across the top of all web pages. This is the standard. Having your main navigation anywhere else will only confuse your visitors.

Homepage slideshow
Have you noticed that most websites have a homepage slideshow? This helps showcase their main products or services without taking up a lot of space. But where should you place this? On 32% of websites, the slideshow is usually on the top part of the homepage. It is made up of a series of images and text messages. You need to consider the use of a homepage slideshow as a web designer Santee.

Call to action
People still want to be told what to do. This is where the call-to-action comes in. 78% of websites have visually prominent call-to-actions.

Social media icons
Your website must have social media icons in the footer. This makes it easy for visitors to connect with you on social media.

Web design Santee

Web design Santee takes more than just putting together lines of code and using the best content management system. There is a lot that goes into web development. It is for this very reason that you need to be very vigilant when deciding on the web designer to bring on board. In this post, we shall be looking at the main qualities that the best designer should have.

Creativity
A lot of what goes into web development depends on a person’s creativity. It is very easy for a person who is not creative to get stuck in the planning stage. A good web designer Santee should be able to think outside the box while at the same time adhering to the rules more so when it comes to search engine optimization. It is only with a creative designer that you will be able to get a design that is not only unique but one that helps you meets your goals. Taking time to consider the different projects that a web designer has worked on could help determine his level of creativity.

Experience
It is one thing to have the perfect idea in mind and another thing to recreate that idea. As much creativity is important in web design Santee, it is good to make sure that the designer you are working with is capable of delivering what you are looking for. There are so many cases where the designer seems to understand what the clients wants only for the results to be unacceptable. Take a look at the number of years the designer has been in the industry. Having the experience means the designer has the know-how to do virtually anything in web development.

Great communication skills
The last thing you want is to work with a designer who forces you into things. This happens when the communication skills of the developer are bad. A great developer should be willing to listen to you and explain his approach in a manner that you understand. The next time you are hiring a web designer Santee, it is imperative that you take a look at what recent clients are saying about the designer. Focus more on the negative reviews. They will give you more insight into the designer.

Proven track record
Last but not least, only hire someone with a good track record. The mistake that most people make is that of assuming that because the web designer Santee has been in the business for years he will be able to deliver on his promises without fail. This is not always the case. You have to take a look at the number of successful projects he has completed. His reputation must also be beyond reproach.

Web design Santee

Web design Santee can either make or ruin your website. If the design is poor, you will get to deal with high bounce rates. On the other hand, if the design is common, you will end up looking unoriginal and boring. The process of web development is not one you should take lightly. If you are planning on creating a new web design, below are the key principles you need to use.

Reduce the cognitive effort of the users
As much as being unique is important, when it comes to web design, your webpages need to be obvious. What this means is that as a web designer Santee, you should strive to create a website that requires no explanations for it to work. The navigation structure of the website needs to be intuitive. Users should not struggle to find their way around your site. If they have to struggle, they will most definitely abandon your site.

Get right to the point
A mistake most designers make is that of giving too much information on their web page. The information is often made up of trifle. The first point you need to remember is that your visitors are only interested in what they are looking for. They will skim through your web content until they find what they need. To make your content easy to skim, you should make use of subtitles as well as bullet points. Never waste too much time getting to the point. Beating about the bush will cost you clients.

Create great content
The only reason why visitors are on your website is not because you have the best web design Santee but simply because you offer high quality content. Content is the soul of your website. If you have high quality content, visitors will keep coming back for more. High quality content will also get more shares. You must never post duplicate content on your website either. This will not only push visitors away but also cause you to be penalized by search engines. You should also make use of white spaces.

Use legible font
You may have the best content but if visitors are not able to read it, they will click away from your website. As a web designer Santee, you have to pick the font style with care. It should be a font that is easy to read. The right font size should also be used.

These are just the basic things you need to do when working on a web design Santee. Never rush the process. If you feel incompetent, never hesitate to get help from experienced web designers.

Web design Santee

Web design Santee is never an easy thing. This is more so when creating a website from scratch. It is hard coming up with a design that stands out from the crowd. Often times, you will find yourself stuck with designs that are being used by other companies. To avoid this, you have to learn how to come up with fresh ideas for your website. Here are some of the things you should consider doing.

Define your idea of success
First things first, before you start designing, you have to know what you are designing for. This is a step most people skip. You need to know what the goals of the new website are and who the target audience is. Do you want a website to increase sales or an online store that sells on autopilot? Knowing what the perfect website should be able to do is the key to creating a website that satisfies your needs. A web designer Santee must never get started without fully understanding the objectives of the website.

Write down your thoughts
A common mistake designers make is that of jumping into the design work without considering the problem that needs to be solved. The whole purpose of design is to solve a problem. You cannot solve a problem you don’t have. When putting your thoughts down, you have to think about the layout, content as well as functionality. These thoughts need to be in line with what you are trying to achieve.

Sketch a framework
Once you start coding, it is very easy to lose sight of what you are trying to create. This is why as a web designer Santee; you must consider sketching your desired layout on paper first. The sketch should solve all the design problems that you may have. This is the user-interface that will surround your content and enable the users to perform various actions. The framework should also include navigation and such components as bottom bars and sidebars. With this sketch, you will be able to have a clear path to follow throughout the development.

The above are simply the key things you need to do when working on a new web design Santee. For more inspiration, you should take some time to go through the websites of various businesses that are similar to yours. That way, you will be able to modify the flaws in your design. All this has to be done before you start coding.

Web design Santee

Web design Santee calls for more than just coding. Throughout the development process, you have to keep your audience first. You must create a website that reflects well on your business and one that meets the unique needs of your audience. When striving to do this, there are a few things you should consider doing as a web designer.

Keep the homepage minimalistic and free of clutter
When going through a website, people rarely read through everything. Focus is on the important points alone. Considering people usually scan through a page picking keywords and sentences, it is imperative that your homepage be precise. The less content a visitor has to read the better. As a web designer Santee, you need to go straight to the point. Let visitors know what your website is about and include the call-to-action. Don’t clutter your page with a lot of text. Consider using images and icons in place of text.

Use visual hierarchy
Technology has evolved greatly since the introduction of the home computer. Today, people not only rely on desktop computers but also on mobile devices to access the Internet. It is your duty as the web designer to arrange content in a clear manner. You always have a few seconds to impress your visitors. Your page needs to grab attention. This can be done by using the right colors, contrast, size as well as white spaces. Strips work remarkably in creating visual hierarchy. They enable you to organize your web page in a manner that is clear and digestible.

Easy to read content
You may have the best web design Santee but is the content easy to read? If people have trouble reading the content because the font is too small or the colors are bleeding on the screen, you will register high bounce rates. To achieve great website readability, you need to make use of contrast. There should be sufficient contrast between the background and the text. The fonts should also be big enough. The font type you pick should also not make it hard to read.

Easy to navigate
As a web designer Santee, you have to make sure your website is easy to navigate. Your visitors should be able to find their way around your website without having to guess anything. This means having a good sitemap, great links and search tools. Link your logo to the homepage, offer vertical navigation and work on the footer. The overall design needs to be intuitive. Visitors should never guess where certain content or pages are on your website.

Mobile friendly
Last but not least, when working on a professional web design, you have to make sure that it is mobile friendly. Over 50% of your visitors will be accessing your website on their mobile devices. Make sure all the components load properly on every device.

These key tips will help create a web design that meets your goals. In addition to that, as a web designer Santee, you have to keep up with the trends. The more you know the better.

Web design Santee