Web Design New Trends for Responsive Websites

Web Design New Trends for Responsive Websites

by | Dec 9, 2019 | Development, Web Design

Each year the trend of responsive web design becomes different to the previous year.  Consumers can expect an experience that is personalised as technology progresses.

Responsive web design as a term has been around for some time now. If you have not heard the term, it describes website creation that functions and adapts correctly to all kinds of devices – tablets, phones, desktops etc. The practice should evolve just as the technology does.

Five very relevant responsive principals and design practices to consider are covered below.

1. Mico Interactions – New Trend!

A recent trend is the use of micro interactions. Web design writers have noticed this as one of the most common things evolving since last year.

These are variables allowing users to interact with a page without the need to reload it. A good example of micro interaction is seen on Facebook where ‘likes’ now have an option added so ‘reactions’ can be made to a post. Emotions can be indicated toward the content in a post by reacting with a smiley face, a heart, a sad face etc. The page stays the same because it doesn’t reload.

Because the page doesn’t reload, micro interactions make the UX (user experience) a lot more fun while also saving time. It is expected these interactions will become very popular in the near future.

2. Typography – the Smart Type

In addition to page aspects typically designed for responsiveness, it is commonly overlooked that you can create a typeface responsively.  An example would be using Verdana 24 pt for headers and a smaller type of Arial for a mobile version of the page.

Some fonts are designed to be large making them less effective when used on a mobile page. This trend makes it crucial to the user experience that titles and text are set up using different fonts and sizes depending on the device being used.

3. Mobile Knowledge

These days, the majority of web traffic is coming from mobile devices. make a need for the concepts of websites and apps to be separated in your mind as having a responsive app is different having a responsive website.  App user experience and usage is important and while there are many similarities for a mobile site to focus on, there are also some semantics a responsive web design can’t deal with.

While the number of possible screen sizes to be used is a consideration for both, A/B testing for each will be different for example.

4. The Grid Innovations

Innovating your grid layouts keeps a website differentiated from other sites while remaining aesthetically pleasing. This trend will grab people’s attention from the use of grid designs like the 12 unit grids, rule of thirds etc by using column combinations that are not so common or playing with the CSS and whitespace for new page organsation.

5. The Colour Wheel Vibe Trend

Elegant Themes design writers agree that current web design tools will allow us to experiment with vibrant colors next. Tools like Material Design and Flat Design 2.0 have made advancements and suggest gradients with vibrant colours as something to take advantage of going forward.

The more technically advanced our mobile devices become, the better vibrant color trends translate well with complex visual designs with less a divide between content quality displayed on those devices compared to desktop display. This is how the semantics of colour has even become responsive in design.

 

Professional Website – Why your Business Needs One

Professional Website – Why your Business Needs One

by | Dec 9, 2019 | Business, Development, Web Design

Gain Credibility with a Professional Website

These days most people search online to compare prices, find solutions to problems or get information about businesses, restaurants and stores etc before they purchase the things they want.  If you don’t yet have a professional website, your competitors who do, will more than likely get your potential customers especially if you are a business based at home without a shop front address.

Having a website will give your business credibility as well as provide information potential customers are looking for.  It gives you a presence that says you mean business and you’re here to stay.

You may be thinking why should I pay someone to build a website when I have a free one built by myself.  A free website is better than none, of course, but you should consider does it provide you with the professional image you desire for your brand?

A lot more credibility will be gained for your business if you have a professional web developer help to create it. Is there anything less professional than your site saying “Look! I used a free page builder to make a website!”

A site designed professionally and responsively will give your customers a great experience when they visit on their phone, a table or a desktop computer while providing a professional image for your business and brand.

A Professional Website Saves you Money Going Forward

When you consider the costs of advertising such as TV, radio, promotional materials and networking events, a website is a cost effective way to promote your business and build your brand long term.

Think about the potential market you can reach, even if your skill level requires your developer to maintain and update the site for you, the costs will still be lower than ongoing traditional marketing.

If you build your site using WordPress and depending how tech savvy you are, you can add to and update your own content on a regular basis, saving you money.

Keep Customers Informed with a Professional Website

Having a website is a very effective way of introducing new services or products to your customers or to announce future events and special promotions. You can also use a blog on your site to post tips, resources and other information providing added value.

A website is easy to update with current information and news, unlike printed brochures etc, and if you discover any errors after publication, it’s quick and easy to resolve.

Not only can your website be a brochure or catalogue online but you can also promote and grow your business with podcasts, webinars, eBooks containing information about your niche and YouTube videos.  With these resources together with integration of social media, your professional business website can reach an even wider audience.

Accessible 24/7/365

Given today’s busy lifestyles, being able to make a purchase decision 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, is a fabulous selling point. There are many people not able to get to your bricks-and-mortar location and a website makes your products and services accessible from anywhere in the world as long as there’s a connection to the internet.

 

Antivirus – Choosing Solutions for your Business

Antivirus – Choosing Solutions for your Business

by | Dec 8, 2019 | Business, Security

It’s very important to have antivirus installed on your devices these days.  It’s extremely difficult in this day and age to keep your personal data 100% safe.  Millions of users have been affected with even major corporations experiencing large breaches.  If this happens with big corporations, how does a small business or private citizen prevent cyber security breaches from occurring.  Ideally, it’s best to invest in a antivirus that updates automatically and frequently.

Trojans, adware, rootkits, spyware, and ransomware are some of the threats handled by modern antivirus tools.

Windows 10 comes with it’s own antivirus and defence tools but not everyone uses Windows 10 and other users consider it’s not enough and choose a better set of tools for security.

You can select from dozens of programs to use but how do you choose the best one to invest in?

Below are a few of the top rated antivirus features on offer that you should look for:

  • User-friendly navigation and ease of setup
  • Malware detection capability should be excellent
  • Email and web protection
  • Network and router protection
  • Analysis of suspicious files should be automatic
  • Multi-device and multi-platform licensing options
  • A smart scan mode
  • In-product support and troubleshooting
  • Tech support available 24/7 in case you need it

To ensure compatibility with your device or computer operating system, check the system requirements before you install any antivirus program.

If you’re into gaming or movies, another beneficial feature is a mode that will hold notifications so the program runs smoothly in the background and doesn’t interfere with your experience or active apps.

How to Test a Antivirus

A free basic version of the software or a free trial should be on offer.  A basic program for security tools may not offer all the protection you need in the long term, however, don’t be forced to pay any fees or subscriptions right away.

To keep up with all the latest threats, you’ll need the best antivirus software available because cyber criminals are are continuously becoming more sophisticated, especially if you’re running a home office or business.

There are several top rated antivirus solutions available that many experts recommend. In the internet security industry, some of the highly-rated programs are

You can reduce the risk of getting malware, spyware, viruses and other threats significantly when you have a good antivirus installed.

WordPress – Why you Should use this Platform

WordPress – Why you Should use this Platform

by | Dec 8, 2019 | Development, Technology, WordPress

Having a website acts as the digital front of store for your business. If the site doesn’t load quickly or look appealing, potential clients will scroll on to the next one. Numerous entrepreneurs and business owners depend on their site to acquire a constant flow of leads and instruct potential customers on what they offer.  Having a site built on the WordPress platform has many advantages.

When structuring and building a website, many think they can’t afford all the enhancement that larger organisations have. Enter WordPress!

WordPress is a free software, often alluded to as a “content management system“, that makes the backend of your website easy to maintain and manage. It gives you the ability to create and edit all the pages for uploading to your live site easily and in an organised fashion.

Read on to discover why WordPress is the best option for your business.

1. Use your website as a blog

The WordPress platform is especially easy to use for adding posts and articles to a dedicated section where you can blog about your business. Google loves unique content on websites!

This is an incredibly effective way to keep your clients up to date with news of your business and build your ranking with continuously new content.

2. For Security, WordPress can update itself.

You can be full of confidence about the security of your website always being up to date with the most current and best policies with it’s own instant updates. No need to manually check for updates unless you want to.

WordPress’ automatic updates continue to better it’s framework to make things increasingly secure for visitors and users alike.

3. The WordPress Framework is Open Source

What is the advantage to you for using an open source platform? Basically, developers contribute plugins and themes to the software, which is improving all the time, and gives you a lot of enhanced and advanced functionality. Most of these are free to use with an option to purchase premium products for even more enhancement of your site.

4. SEO Friendliness

Website optimisation for search engines like Google and Bing To make your site more searchable is a must. Acing search engine optimisation can take a lot of time investment for business owners but WordPress can streamline your site in the mot effortless ways. For example, a free plugin called Yoast SEO gives guidance on the ranking of your content and offers ways to make improvements.

5. WordPress Coding is Standard

A lot of developers build complicated websites making it hard for anyone else to manage. This is ok if you have no intention of every changing your site again but that would be a rare thing.

WordPress is one of the most popular CMSs in the world. It’s a great choice because any developer can code for it and fix your issues if you’re not able to do it yourself. Any developer will also have the capacity to redesign your site’s look if you decide on an upgrade.

6. WordPress is used by some of the biggest companies in the world

Some of the world’s largest companies have their sites powered by WordPress including The New York Times, Mashable, TechCrunch, and Inc.

If you want a website that grows as your business does, WordPress is scalable, fully functional and visually pleasing with endless possibilities and options if your budget grows in the future.