As in any industry, there are many business owners who discount the value of abiding by today’s best practices in website design. In fact, some of the largest companies in the world make that mistake, just take a peek at Berkshire Hathaway Inc., a Warren Buffet led company and see for yourself. The must-have standards that I am referring too are really quite simple.

1. The company logo should be clearly positioned in the top left corner of the website. Research shows that it is the best placement location for visibility as users click through browser windows, especially on mobile platforms. Visitors expect the logo to be in this position and when that is placed elsewhere they are often passed over.
2. While the “hamburger” navigation menu is a valuable space saver on mobile devices, nothing beats a fully exposed navigation menu on a desktop computer. It allows visitors to make mental shortcuts and to easily peruse the information on a website. Some web designers have taken to including the “hamburger” navigation on full websites and it is a mistake.
3. The most important products and call-to-actions should be positioned above the fold with easy to read buttons to beckon users. Many visitors don’t scroll down beyond what they see on the screen. Keep it simple and forgo competing messages and other distractions. This is a key point when it comes to website design and development so really focus on this when you’re creating your website.
4. As of 9 months ago, a mobile responsive website is an absolute must. Without a website that is built on a flexible grid that re-adjusts components to fit properly on all mobile screens, a business might just as well post a “closed for business” sign.

Certainly appealing graphics and compelling content will add to the success of the website. You should use your website as a platform to get your message across. Include all of the things that any potential clients would find informative and appealing; don’t leave anything out. Not sure how to build your website around this? If you don’t, then looking at somewhere like this website design jacksonville fl company could help when it comes to the process of creating a website that is unique and professional. In turn, this will help to increase your client base going forward. Who doesn’t want to achieve this? Of course, every website wants visitors, especially if it’s a business website. Whilst enhancing web design will help to increase traffic to your website, you need to consider whether or not your website will actually be able to perform under this stress. With more people using your website applications, it can begin to slow processes down, which will impact the performance of APIs. Due to this, it’s advised that companies consider getting api testing done to ensure their websites are prepared for more traffic. This is important, or websites could begin to crash.

They are all important things to consider when enhancing your website. Regardless of whether you hire professional help, or if you do it yourself – if a website meets the four criteria detailed above, they will have a fighting chance at success.

Recently a client asked me how she might easily add symbols and special characters to her WordPress posts.  While this is a question that may belong in the WP101 textbook, the answer was not on the tip of my tongue. A simple Google search told me that a special plugin was not necessary to accomplish this task. The tool is readily available on the WordPress editing dashboard.  Simply click on the “Kitchen Sink” icon in the toolbar in order to expand the available options as shown in the example below.

This will expose the Special Character Icon which, when clicked, will open the associated panel. (As shown in the image below.)

To think how often I’ve copied and pasted these characters into position when they were at my disposal the whole time. File under: #Goodtoknow!

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It used to be common place for companies to have what could best be described as a “Business Card” website – a single web page that provided visitors with basic contact information. These websites served businesses well when the internet was young and the competition was slim. One-page websites have made a comeback over the past several years but, like the internet itself, they have evolved to look and behave vastly different than their predecessors.

Today’s one-page sites are sleek and dynamic, showcasing all the important aspects of a business on a single page and begging for a call-to-action. Rather than navigating between pages, visitors are bounced vertically around a single page that deliciously showcases the products and services offered. These pages can be visually stunning and perfectly suited for mobile platforms where simple navigation rules.

Any business without a web presence today is isolating themselves from a huge segment of their market niche. A simple one-page website might do the trick and, with the bones in place, the website could easy morph into something more as the business grows.

Here are the links to two websites that are rocking one page. While they both happen to be in the hospitality industry, one-page websites are suitable for any business particularly if they have lesser content to share.

The word mobile friendly or responsive is now part of our daily vocabulary – but what exactly does it mean?

A website that is ‘mobile responsive’ is designed to provide an optimal viewing experience in all browsers. This means that rather than simply re-sizing the entire site to fit proportionately into a browser window, a responsive site will creatively reorganize the elements in a way that promotes easy reading, navigation and scrolling in order to optimize the user experience. All of the elements are placed on a flexible grid and simultaneously resize accordingly as the browser window changes. Photos, for example, may realign themselves from a row to a column for a better viewing experience. To witness the effect, try dragging the handlebars on the browser window on your desk top computer or just compare the difference in the appearance of a website as it appears on different devices.

With more that 50% of online traffic coming from mobile devices – mobile responsiveness is a trend that is not going away. In fact, Google is penalizing those websites that have not adopted a responsive theme. I have included images below from a site that I recently upgraded from a WordPress theme that was not behaving well on mobile platforms. Open Meadow Homes now has a thumbs up from Google.

A view of the homepage of Open Meadow Homes on a desk top computer. Notice that the navigation menu spans across the width of the page. As the user scrolls down the page the next section features three widgets side by each.

Lastly, here’s an example of view of the home page of Open Meadow Homes as seen on an iPhone 6 plus. Virtually all of the items have moved to a vertical position on the grid.