Your business website is the hub for everything you have to offer. An all-in-one center for your biography, your portfolio or services, your insights…pretty much all your bragging rights. You know what content is available, where to find it and where to go if you can’t. Here’s the catch – can your customers? How your website works is just as, if not more important, than how it looks.

We find ourselves in an age of digital technology and information. People are no longer popping into stores to see what’s available, instead they are searching online. Think of your website as the first impression your company gives.  When a customer clicks on that URL they want to be greeted in a warm, friendly manner. Imagine if you clicked on a webpage and were directed to this:

If you’re in a state of website-envy, it might be time to look at your marketing strategy.

Your website is the greatest tool your small business can use to increase leads, sales and loyal customers in today’s tech-savvy world. But if you aren’t incorporating the inbound methodology into your web marketing strategy, you aren’t using this money-making tool effectively. 

Many articles out there focus on how to build the best website for businesses using web design best practices. These practices will help you create a website that drives traffic, generates leads, and closes customers. The truth is, with technological advances and changes in consumer buying behaviors, designing an effective website isn’t as simple as it once was. Here are five common myths about website design:

Myth #1: Call-to-action buttons should be kept above the fold. Placing a CTA above the fold is the most common placement on web pages. In a case study done by Content Verve, a landing page with the call-to-action below the fold performed better than a page with the CTA above the fold by an incredible 304 percent. Now, that’s not saying placing a CTA above the fold is a bad idea. If the visitors are interested, it will receive clicks. Click through rates are highly dependent on the page content and the CTA itself. If you’re wondering where to place your call-to-action, run an A/B test. Keep both versions away from busy areas, but don’t be afraid to place one below the fold.

If you’re ready to develop or redesign your business website, you might be wondering, how much does it cost to make a website? The cost of a website can range from free to millions of dollars depending on how large the site needs to be. The cost depends on many factors, including:

• Features/functionality
• Design
• Development
• Integrations

Remember the “good old days?” It might have been growing up in a small suburb, where you could walk to the ice cream store and see multiple friends along the way. Or maybe it was when you could disco the night away? Perhaps it was when you biked through your neighborhood while you listened to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” on your Sony Walkman. Or, maybe when you listened to boy bands after school, or played video games until it was time for bed.

Google Analytics is one of the best tools to use when analyzing your website traffic. It provides in depth data on your viewers and allows you to make sure your pages are performing optimally. The tool has a lot of capabilities; we’ve provided a brief description on how to use Google Analytics to track and report website traffic.

Starting in 2018, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will require website compliance from a variety of organizations. If you’re planning on updating or building a new site, you should plan on incorporating the Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) that have been set up. Click here to download the entire WCAG 2.0 Checklist for ADA Compliance.

Typography is often referred to as the backbone of design. And, as we continue to evolve into a mobile-first world, typography is becoming increasingly important to our communication efforts.

Ten years ago, designers were focused solely on choosing typography for websites and digital marketing that looked good and functioned well on desktop technology. Today, they also need the fonts they select to be compatible with an increasing variety of screen sizes — including desktop computers, tablets, and mobile phones.