Website Terms to Know

October 4, 2018 by anoadmin

Most businesses hire a web firm to navigate the enigma that is the web world. From registering your domain to ensuring responsiveness, web firms take care of the nuances of your website. However, it’s important that the information they give you is translated correctly. To help you understand your web firm better, we've created a list of frequently used terms in the web world.

Website Terms

CMS (Content Management System) - A CMS is software that is used to manage your website content for your website. It may allow multiple people to manage a website's content and is usually internet based. One example is WordPress.

Development - This is the act of programming or coding that creates features and functions so that a design concept can be built into a website.

Development Site - An alias website with a different domain than that of the actual website. While a site is being built or undergoing a redesign, a development site is used. The purpose of a development site is to have a private space to build a website.

Design - The overall appearance of a website including colors, fonts, images, spacing, and style.

Domain Name - A domain is the name of your website and where users can access your site on the internet.

IP Address (Internet Protocol Address) - An IP address is a unique set of numbers that are separated by periods. Each series of numbers identifies the computer or server that a website is hosted on; think of it as the street address of where your website resides.

Open Source CMS - Software that is open to the public to create, edit, and transform and is usually free. In most cases, no single individual owns an open source CMS, rather, a community of developers and programmers work simultaneously to improve it.

Plugins - Plugins are functions that you add to your website such as a calendar, a reservation bar, a scheduling bar, or to convert to an eCommerce site.

Responsive - Responsiveness is a website's capability to adapt to different devices. Design and functionalities of a responsive website stay intact whether the website is being viewed on a desktop, smartphone, or tablet.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - SEO is the act of using techniques, strategies, and content to help a website appear at the top of the SERP (search engine results page) allowing the maximum number of people to visit your website. Google is an example of a search engine.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) - An SSL certificate is a technology that encrypts information between the web server and a browser; it is an extra level of security for your website that protects you and visitors. Read about Google's part in promoting SSL certificates.

Themes - A theme is the underlying functionality of a website.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - A URL is the address of a web page; each web page has a different URL. URLs, links, and web addresses are interchangeable words. An example of a URL is https://oldcitywebservices.com/services/.

User Interface - The user interface is how users navigate a website after landing on a web page. This includes menus, the layout of the text, contact forms, buttons and more. A designer and developer must consider and optimize the user interface to make the user experience as friendly as possible.

Web Host - A web host is a business that provides the servers where your website files are located so that they can be accessed through the Internet.

WordPress - WordPress is an open source CMS that we encourage clients to build their websites on. WordPress offers over 45,000 quality plugins, exceeding offers from Drupal or Joomla (which are rivalry CMS').

Tip for Success – Research, examine and execute.

This list of terms may have opened your eyes to areas that your website is lacking in. But, if you’re website is lacking several characteristics, you may be asking yourself “Where do I start?” and “What can I afford?” The best thing to do is research, examine and execute.

Research your website needs.

The first step is to determine what your website is lacking. You can research this by using materials like this blog of defined terms, calling Old City Web Services, or reading material online.

Examine your choices and budget.

What is the biggest piece missing from your website? If your website is missing several things, you'll have to decide what's most critical to its success. This is a great question for us, just give us a shout! We can lead you in the right direction based on your unique needs.

Execute the process.

This is the easiest step! Inform us of your final decision and we'll get the ball rolling! Remember to relax - the tough part is over and now you can lean on the trustworthy shoulders of your web firm team.

Mission Statement

Our mission at Old City Web Services is to navigate the world of web design, web development, and advertising for our clients so that they can focus on what they do best – running their business! Our business intentions go beyond the metrics of graphics, coding, and SEO. Located on Florida’s First Coast, we run a personable home front service and consider our relationship with our clients as a partnership in their success. If you are looking to increase your business’ visibility give us a call at 904-867-4112 or contact us today.

Sharing and re-posting this blog is encouraged. Please credit Old City Web Services when sharing. Disclaimer: Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information on Old City Web Services Blog.

Website Trends for 2018

January 2, 2018 by anoadmin

In 2017 several website trends caught traction which will remain popular throughout 2018. In the past year, we have noticed a major evolution in the design of small business sites. Cluttered pages, a lack of direction, and M.I.A. contact forms are a thing of the past. The message has been conveyed; business owners are realizing that strong photos, clear messages, and prompt customer service is what makes a positive user experience. A positive experience results in potential customers to stay on a site for longer. Therefore, websites are being designed with a specific goal to convey a clear message and make it as easy as possible for the user. More sites are sticking to a clean site format, incorporating a call to action (CTAs) and chatbots.

Clean Sites and Good Photo Quality

Old City Web Services designs a site that is clear and focused.

This is an example of a site that Old City Web Services redesigned not too long ago. Notice the simple color scheme, clear text, and simplicity of the site.Above all else, a clean and focused website is a top priority for businesses. A cluttered site can be distracting and push potential customers out of your cyber-door. Since sites only have a few seconds to grab the attention of a user, distracting elements like blurry photos, a mismatched color-scheme, and too short or too long of content, is damaging.

Call to Action (CTA)

St. Augustine Record CTA

In this CTA, the St. Augustine Record advertises a local attorneys office.The purpose of a CTA is to prompt the user to take a specific action while on your site. A CTA usually takes the form of a button, link, or pop-up and requests the user to “sign up”, make a purchase, download a coupon, or read more information.

Every site should have a CTA, especially e-commerce sites. They provide a direction for users, measure the success of a site, and let’s not forget they increase conversion. The proof is in the pudding. Nearly every large corporation site has several CTAs and small businesses are following suit in 2018.

CTA’s are for you if you have an e-commerce site, use email as a form of marketing, host events or sales, or provide coupons.

If you are interested in adding a CTA or expanding your current site into an ecommerce site, call us to schedule a free consultation.

Screenshot: Chat automation by thinkingchat.com. An example of what chat automation can look like for your business' site.

Chatbots

Customer service will be more complex than ever in 2018. In the past, customers with an inquiry resorted to dialing a number for a resolution, but in 2018 they will resort to clicking; chatbots are the key to high customer satisfaction.

Consumers are interested in what is most convenient for them and phone calls have become inconvenient. Since users often use the internet and social media pages, such as Facebook, to find information, connecting with them online is more important than ever. Consequently, chatbots are taking the place of phone calls. As you may have noticed on some Facebook Business Pages, it is no longer necessary to dial a number for an answer. Chatbots make it convenient to answer frequently asked questions such as the price of items, event times, locations, and the purchase of tickets. While large enterprises have a customer support person on the other side of their chat box to answer questions, small businesses may not have the manpower to answer individual questions. However, small businesses can rely on chat automation, which provides pre-written responses to FAQ. Chatbots is beneficial for more than just the consumer. In fact, small businesses profit as well because customers are satisfied and better customer data is collected.

The technology behind chatbots is sophisticated but surprisingly inexpensive. Interested in knowing if chatbots are the way to the hearts of your customers? We can help you.

Mission Statement

Sharing and re-posting this blog is encouraged. Please credit Old City Web Services when sharing.
Disclaimer: Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information on Old City Web Services Blog.
Photo credits: Old City Web Services, Thinkingchat.com, Rodbender Fishing Charters.

7 Site Characteristics to Ditch

November 26, 2017 by anoadmin

As a business owner creating and managing a website can be difficult. Your expertise is in your business and not graphic design. However, a compelling website is just as important as a business manager. With the Christmas approaching, you'll want to be sure that visitors are captivated by your site because they have a limited attention span.

While holiday shopping, or preparing their own businesses for the holidays, the chances are that your visitor has a lot on their mind already, just like you! To ease their navigation issues, it is important to eliminate pesky site characteristics.

As a web design company, we urge you to consult with us with any of your web design issues. If two of these items are applicable to your site, we insist you call.

1. The site is not responsive.

If a website is not responsive visitors will have trouble viewing and searching for information. Text and photos that are designed for a desktop site appear small and difficult to read on a smartphone. Or, worst-case scenario, smartphone visitors will have to scroll up and down AND left to right - this can be frustrating.

Responsiveness is not a new concept. For years users have browsed the web using devices such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets. In fact, in November of 2016, mobile browsing surpassed desktop browsing.

2. Contact information is replaced with a form.

Did you experience an outage after hurricanes Matthew or Irma? If so, then you understand why it is irritating when a company doesn’t have their phone number and email address readily available on their website. Basically, it is only acceptable for Florida Power and Lights to hide their contact information from their customers.

Old City Web Services Contact Page is a good example to follow - it includes contact information and a contact form.

3. An irrelevant About Page.

As soon as a visitor lands on a site several things should be apparent to them, for example, the company mission. At this point, if there is any confusion on what services, products, or advice the company provides visitors will navigate to the About Page. If the About Page is still unclear and has a ton of script that doesn’t describe what the business is selling, providing, or producing the visitor will move on to the competitor's website.

An About page shouldn't be boring, but it should be informative.

4. Pages with too little text or too much text.

Website content should be balanced. If each page has a few sentences on it visitors won’t stick around long enough to get a full grasp of your product. In the same sense, visitors are unlikely to read an enormous block of text. Break up large blocks of text with headings and subheadings and combine pages that have only a few sentences of text.

5. Too many Popups.

Advertising and call to actions are important site characteristics and depending on the business, they are non-negotiable. However, if popups are stopping users from navigating to different pages or straight up pesky, chances are they will opt-out of a site faster then they opt-out of spam emails.

Site Characteristics

6. Information is hard to find.

Websites should not resemble mazes - but sometimes they do. Information for visitors needs to be plentiful and well-placed. Large blocks of content, missing details, or missing prices will only frustrate site users and lead them elsewhere. For example, if you are a historic inn or bed and breakfast then your website should include prices, amenities, and the location of your business. Focus on which aspects are most important for your potential customers and be sure to add it to the website.

7. It is messy.

Websites that are eyesores are less likely to engage visitors for long periods of time. Eyesores can include different font styles, mismatched color combinations, blurry or too many photos and random placement of photos. This may seem petty, but if a website is tacky chances are so is the product.

When in contact with your customers or the public, it is extremely important to provide quality customer service. A friendly, courteous disposition goes a long way. That includes answering the phone with a smile on your face; it can be heard in the tone of your voice. Put the shoe on the other foot and treat your customers the way you would want to be treated.

Mission Statement

Choosing A Design Company

August 17, 2017 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

It's surprising how many times in our first-time client consultations we ask what brought the client to us and their answer is all too often "Google." Well Google is how you found us, but what made you consider us (or any company for that matter) for your project?

So, what is your criteria for choosing a design company? An important decision such as this should not be a game of Google-Eeny, meeny, miny, mo. It should be rooted in a company's skill set, and the best tool to analyze this is their portfolio. It shows their body of work and what they have done for other companies in a variety of industries and how they have helped them to succeed.

Design is not just drawing pretty pictures - it is about communication. The audience is the customer looking for what you and your competitors offer. So choose a company wisely that will help set you apart!

Stay tuned for more exclusive tips from our experts. Next up Natalie weighs in on social media!