Category: Website Design

Your Website is a Powerful Marketing Platform, use is wisely.

 

Businesses are starting to realise the power that is hidden in their website. Let’s go back a few years and look at what was happening online. Businesses could rank their website easily on Google and traffic ( including inquiries) would pour in. People were far less critical of websites and basic online expectations and user experiences were quite low. That is, people we just happy to find the site and make an inquiry.

 

Today, however, people demand a lot more from websites and expect to be wowed when they land on a site. Combine this with social media engagement, blogging and the competitive nature of the digital space, and you have a recipe for  websites that need to be designed and developed to a much higher standard.

 

Hence, websites if poorly designed, built and marketed, will fall flat. This is the end result of clients wanting to invest little time and money into their now, main marketing medium. If people are willing to spend accordingly and invest dollars into their website, without the usual cutting of budgets, they will see the benefits flowing through.

 

A good tip here for people wanting to get a website developed is look for a company that’s going to charge a proper amount for their time and design abilities. If you decide to partner with a web design company Sydney that offers templates at a cheap price, expect to receive just that in return. A dud!

Worldwide, internet video usage will skyrocket to 71% of all online traffic in 2018.  With this massive amount of people using video online you should really be thinking about adding some video to your eCommerce website and following are 7 reasons why video is a must.

1. Your customers will like video content

If you can add some video content about your products, your clients will like this. It’s just an added feature that will ensure the way the user experiences your website is more enjoyable. Video can really push your products and sell it harder to your customer base. If they can see your products ‘in action’ this is a great sales tool and should increase revenue. Think golf, surfing, tennis, automotive,  education, travel, basically anything that you are selling can be captured on video and added to your website. It is just so much more powerful than 1 or 2 images.

2. Return on Investment is Massive.

A video can cost next to nothing to produce. So, the ROI is huge. If you are able to capture the essence of your product and the uptake is big, then this return on your investment is well worth it. If you are constantly updating your site with videos that you produce then the cost is nothing, only your time.

3. Helps your clients connect with your business.

Online photos are great but can only tell so much of a story. A well produced video, can have so much more impact  and can also connect customers with your brand and business. Videos can generate much more emotions than images and in turn will keep your customers loyal. Emotions trigger buying decisions and this is what eCommerce websites are all about. You want to kepp users on your web page and keep them very interested in what you are selling – videos are the perfect medium for this to happen!

4. Videos will help with your search engine rankings.

Posting fresh, new content is a great way to enhance your SEO and videos are another avenue for creating content. On top of this Google will rank new videos higher than content in some cases. Continually publishing videos on your ecomm site will ensure that the videos keep getting indexed which means that anyone searching for your product, should find your video – this is a great marketing tool!

5. Making the mobile phone experience better.

Rather than clicking on pages of content, a video that opens up on a phone will boost and maintain users interest in your product. People browsing the web on hand held devices want information and they want it fast, a video on your eCommerce website will provide this and you will be rewarded.

6. Videos will Enhance Your Reputation

If your customers can see you have gone to the effort of making videos and continually updating these, they will return to your eCommerce site continually. This will reflect really well on your brand and reputation. For me, like many consumers, if they can see the product they are thinking about buying on video, and they like what they see, they will more than likely end up buying from you.

7. Increase Conversion Rates.

Having a dedicated video about a product on its own page will keep users engaged and thus increase online conversion rates. Videos, should keep your customers entertained and informed, which will ultimately lead to much higher conversion rates than just plain old text and photos. People landing on these ‘ micro site’ product pages, will surely open the video and watch it – hence CRO ( conversion rate optimisation) is being utilised to it’s fullest potential. Ideally, you want everyone who visits your eCommerce website to buy from you – so each landing page that has a video should convert site visitors into paying customers.

 

Who Should Produce Your Video.

Getting a video produced for your website can be as simple as taking a hand held camera on your phone and going for it. On the other hand, you might like to work with a video production company to get a better finished result. Of course this comes at a cost, but if you really want to make an impact, then this is probably the best way to go.
One important point to note is that all videos on your website, need to load very fast. In fact, they need to be streaming in less than 2 seconds – anything more is going to have a negative impact. Keep this in mind when you are talking to your eCommerce web designers.

How Many Videos Should I Be Making?

This all depends on hoe many products you have and how many you want to promote. Ideally, you main best sellers should all be be filmed and each video dedicated to it’s particular product page. You might even think about a video on the home page introducing your company – this can be connected to YouTube and is now common practice.

 

Once your site is live you need to look at a few important factors to ensure that your website will be working for you. Following are a few points to consider, for your new web site.

 

How Am I Going To Generate Website Traffic?

Ideally, this should have been discussed during the very first web briefing meeting. Generating interest and web traffic is called search engine optimisation and really needs to be implemented from the early stages of site development.
At Hopping Mad, luckily our preferred  WordPress CMS platform, allows for easy integration of SEO title tags, content and description, so that any SEO ‘must haves’ can be implemented once the site is deployed.
Ranking your newly built site on page 1 of Google through SEO is the ultimate way to get the phone ringing and this process needs to be continually implemented once your website is live. If there is one thing that you should do for your website on a monthly basis, SEO is it! Keep it up and keep it going and this will ensure that your website will be your best sales person.

 

You Have to Keep Refining your Pages.

Some pages might work better than others and some parts of your site will be getting more traffic than others. Your web pages need to be continually monitored, analysed and refined for maximum performance. Even when you think that your main landing pages are looking their best, there is always room for improvement. Known as CRO or conversion rate optimisation, your web team will need to be on top of this and monitor site usage and bounce rates through your Google Analytics.
Constant testing and refining may seem like a daily grind, but if you manage to do this effectively, the rewards are huge.

 

Is My Site Technologically Up To Date

 

Never let your website fall behind the technology race. You should always have the very latest add ons and be kept up to date of new advancements.
Customers coming to your site will expect to see a contemporary looking interface with the newest online trends implemented. If they don’t see these, then it can reflect badly on your business.

 

A Final Point to Consider.

 

Your website is your ultimate sales machine and like all good machines, they need to be taken care of and maintained. What may seem like a burden and a waste of money, is in fact an investment in your business. So, once you have launched your site, maintain and nurture it, so that it’s performing as best as it can for your business.

The economic environment, especially the online and digital landscape is always shifting. So, if your company is to get ahead of the pack, then it must engage the services of a business consultant that is able to offer strategic advice and offer plans of action that are needed to drive sales and boost your revenue.

 

What Could a Business Consultant Do For You?

There are ten main areas of expertise that a business consultant can advice on:

Provide necessary information – you have to find the right consultant for your niche. The type of information provided is vital if you are going to place your trust in this. search online and you will find the right business consultant for your particular needs.

Solve problems  – if there is a serious problem or issue within your business and you can’t seem to find a solution, then a business consultant may be able to provide a full internal business audit; find the cause of the problem and offer advice on the necessary steps to fix this issue. Sometimes, being to involved with your business means that you can’t see issues which may be staring you in the face. A third external party is always a great solution.

Help realise potential opportunities – if you are looking at ways to grow your business and can’t seem to find  ideas and ways to do this, then a business consultant is your answer. If for example, you have little experience with the online world or internet marketing, then a business consultant with knowledge and past history in this area, can have an enormous positive impact on your business.

Understand, and re-evaluate problems – some problems in your business may seem  insurmountable. Business consultants can usually get a better understanding of the issues and provide alternative solutions that you not have thought possible.

Make sound recommendations that you can either adopt or not.

Implement business wide changes that can help improve internal processing systems, streamline sales techniques and marketing strategies.

Ensure that the changes adopted are carried out and strictly adhered to. No point going to the trouble of this exercise if it falls flat after 6 months.

Client training – this should be carried out on an on going basis and continued until the business is solid.

Keep the organisation on a path that will ensure highest growth and success.

Ensure that the business remains positive and that any negativity is eliminated, before it can cause damage. Positivity and the energy it brings with it is sometimes hard to maintain. A business consultant or mentor will be able to show you ways to keep you motivated and stay focused. Businesses that stay focused and are driven with high positive energy will always do a lot better than those that are not.

Why does a company engage a business consultant?

These are the 5 most common needs for consulting help:

Temporary help – they may need help for a very specific task or area. Specialist consultants who know how to provide help in niche areas are a great find – if you are looking for a business consultant Sydney then perhaps give Hopping Mad Designs a call on 02 9360 8514 – we are experts in the online and digital environment; especially web design and search engine optimisation. So if you are looking for a business consultant in these fields – we can help!

Overcoming a crisis – these happen all the time in the business world and sometimes you need to reach out for a third party that has the experience to overcome these hurdles.

Instigating corporate and cultural change – sometimes organisations can get stuck in a rut – unable to move because of cultural and sometimes family obstinance, business consultants can implement and manage change for the better.

Marketing Strategies – most  businesses; no matter the size are great at what they do, but when it comes to marketing, they can too often be clueless. This can be a real issue and cost vast sums of money to a business owner if they invest in the wrong marketing mediums and platforms. A stated previously, the online world is always changing and businesses MUST engage a consultant who has worked in this field. Leaving this to chance, can often be fatal for many businesses who ignore marketing opportunities in the online and social media space.

Educating and training staff– this is essential when it comes to keeping up with the latest technological trends. Management and staff need to be constantly trained and educated about happenings in the online world.

 

What is the role of the Business Consultant in your Organisation?

Having worked out a need for business consulting help, we must then consider the consultant’s position within your business.

Tutor – they will teach you all they know within their field
Professional – this is why you hired them
Coordinator – they will put the pieces of the puzzle together
Instructor – someone you can turn to when the need arises
Trainer – once you have the skills they can train you and your staff till you have solved the problem or worked out a solution.
Generally speaking, the business consultant’s job is a mix of point two and any of the others.

 

What NOW?

Consultants are there to help. Choosing the right consultant is a huge issue and based on the disaster stories I have heard over the years, you need to be very aware of the choices you make and who you finally engage.

Interested in speaking with a business consultant that has a wealth of knowledge in the online space? CALL 02 9360 8514.

 

 

Call to Action Buttons do not necessarily have to scream in your face with loud graphics; unless this is the intention, but some discreetly designed buttons can guide the user throughout the site, step by step.

Basically it’s about highlighting or spotlighting an important part of the website and getting the user to go there.

Overall adding a simple call to action button on your website can have a dramatic effect on user CRO or conversion rate optimisation. Adding a ‘free shipping’ button may add, in some cases 20-30% to your bottom line.

It’s all about finer tuning and testing what works and what doesn’t work. This type of testing should be carried out on a continual basis, until you have it just PERFECT!

 

Positioning Your Call to Action Buttons.

 

Where your call to action buttons go on your main landing pages of your website is going to have a massive impact in the way your site is used.

You really don’t need hundreds of different buttons all over your website. This is not on and WILL confuse and send mixed signals to your customers.

A couple of well placed call to action buttons at the top of the page will be enough to spell your message or intention out. For example, if you have a new product in sale, or a change in your shipping policy, this can go in the top right hand corner of the page. You may also like to put a ‘ check out what’s latest’ call to action on the right hand side of your home page.

 

Appearance of Call to Action Buttons

 

Try not to be overly graphic with these buttons as the tone may suggest that you are cheap n cheerful. Large brightly coloured, even animated buttons can send out mixed messages to your client base.

Keep button colours within your corporate style – nothing is worse than having busy yellow coloured buttons splashed all over a conservative blue looking coloured website. Contrasting colours are OK to make a statement, but be reasonable with how far you go with this.

 

Which Direction Do You Want your Customers to Go?

 

This can be quite tricky and is something that needs to thought put into – which direction and where are you sending your customers to? Again, this will depend on your overall conversion rate optimisation strategy, but speak with your web developer, who should be able to advice you on the best course of action.

If they are on your home page, and they click on a specials button for example, will this send them away, where they could be missing other important news, products, services or information.

Ideally, send users directly to your main purchase page where they can see the product. From there, the check out and sale is only 1 step away.

Are Call To Actions Easy To Design?

 

Yes they are. I suggest speaking with your current web agency about this in a bit more detail – if you find that your websites number of clicks it receives, is simply not converting into sales, then a quick call to action button just might be the FIX you are after to help improve those lagging inquiries.

 

Call to action buttons are an essential part of your overall conversion rate strategy. To learn more why not get in touch with people who understand this.

Instagram has the Personal Touch

Instagram is the perfect platform to show your other side – unlike LinkedIn, Instagram gives your clients the opportunity to see more of who you are and not just the business side of things. Uploading interesting images will get you more followers and larger exposure. It is not hard to take a picture with your phone and upload it. You will be surprised how positively people respond to this new form of marketing.

So How Would This Work?

Heres some great examples – go behind the scenes of your business and:

• take pictures of factory staff
• show employees working
• new products being tested, developed or sold
• product launches
• a picture of a group meeting of sales/staff meeting
• take photos of staff preparing food
• anything that tweaks the users interest.

Some of these might seem odd, but it is exactly this oddness that people like.

Exposure to a New Demographic

The idea behind Instagram is simple. Take a picture and connect with other people who like that photo. Businesses  can connect with people all over Australia and the world. This opens your business up to a whole new demographic. Its fast, quick and a powerful marketing platform –  perfect for businesses of every size. You will be amazed at how quick you can get followers and start marketing and talking to them. See how quickly you can grow you customer base in a week!

How Does This Work?

• If you are connecting with a young audience take cool, hip images that they will understand and relate to – check the Hollister or Rip Curl Instagram profile as a great example
• Hotels can take images of guest facilities or the area around the hotel tourist might find interesting
• Airlines can take images of staff or pictures of destinations they go to – Air Asia have a great Instagram profile So do a lot of surfing and travel companies.
• Wine Companies, can take images of the grapes being picked and the fermenting process.

The list goes on and on and they images you can take are endless.

Network Effectively

There is much more to Instagram than pretty pictures. Instagram like any other social platform, needs working on if it is to be used to it’s full potential.

All online social media networks are designed to bring people closer, so once you have started to get followers, you should begin to interact and network with them. It’s a great new way to reach out to a new customer base.

So How Do I Start Networking?

Like, comment and connect with followers and watch in turn your followers start to rise – simple as that – not much effort involved at this stage.

But to network effectively, see who is following you and see their comments. You can then begin to target these people with specific images they like. Remember, networking in this fashion requires you to be constantly involved with Instagram. I’m not saying that you have to spend hours and hours on this, but at least be active enough so that your followers are growing. You must keep active for this to happen.

It’s Free

Instagram is totally free and the only expense is your time. Give it a go and see the kind of results you get – you really have nothing to loose, except gain a few new client’s.

Want to learn more about all Instagram’s benefits?

 

What is an Open Source CMS?

An open source content management system means that your website will be built around a CMS that is free to download. Unlike proprietary CMS platforms, ( which are very common) that have been purposely built by web developers, open source CMS gives you the absolute freedom to move your website wherever you like.

The trick with open source CMS solutions is to pick the right CMS, and the right web design agency to build it.

At the moment the favourite is WordPress, and here at Hopping Mad Designs we have designed and built hundreds of WordPress websites for our clients.

Features of Open Source CMS.

1) Are built and maintained by groups of likeminded people from around Australia and the rest of the world.

2) The source code is available to everyone. Anyone can use open source with a little training – basically it is free for anyone to use.

3) The beauty of open source CMS is that it can be hosted anywhere. You will never be tied to one particular hosting company that you may not want or like. You can host an open source website with just about any ISP in Sydney or Australia

4) Most plug ins or add ons are free and provided to you as soon as they are available.

 

Features of a Proprietary CMS.

– Have been developed by 1 web development company.

– You will NEVER have access to the source code.

– You will have to host with the company that built the CMS – watch those monthly fees start to skyrocket!

– If you are unhappy with the CMS or the development company, you are STUCK – you cannot move their CMS – basically you have to start all over again OR get your design files moved over to an open source CMS – there is generally a fee associated with this.

There are pros and cons for each, BUT being in this industry for 18 years I can say with certainty that a OPEN SOURCE CMS is far far better for your business. I have seen too many disasters from people getting trapped into using a proprietary CMS.

 

 Why WordPress is a Great Open Source CMS.

 

• The main reason why we absolutely love to use WordPress is that the designs can be easily customised for your website. WordPress allows for graphics to be easily implemented, which will give your website that professional, designed look.
• Because WordPress is an open source CMS, you are free to host or take your website any where you want ( see above points).
• Because there are teams of developers constantly working on improving the functionality of the CMS, you will never have to worry about missing out on latest tech advances.
• The WordPress blog functionality is awesome. If you are a fan of content marketing, then a WordPress blog is the way to go. The interface is clean and extremely simple to use, which makes it the perfect partner for businesses looking to blog about their service or product.
• It easily integrates shopping cart/ecommerce functions.
• WordPress is loved by the main search engines and if you update site content ( which is super easy to do), you will see your web rankings skyrocket.
• WordPress is scalable and can work with any type of website and budget. It is perfect for the small business web presence and can work equally as well for a complex back end site.

 

Problems When You Don’t Use a WordPress CMS

If you are happy to:

• pay excessive monthly fees – total waste of money
• be held to ransom by your web developer or web company as they own your CMS
• have to deal with 1 web company for the life of your website
• be completely limited in design style – very template driven web design
• have poor search engine performance – can’t rank on google – your website will be lost online;

then WordPress is not for you.

But if you want a website that looks and performs extremely well for your business and will help to contribute to your online success then a WordPress CMS is the answer for you.

High Traffic – Low Sales.

You are getting the visitors to your website but this is not translating to sales. People are going to your site but they seem to be exiting the site before making a purchase or inquiry. You can tell this by studying your Google Analytics. This will tell you how many site visitors you are getting, how long they are staying on the site.

Boring + Uninspiring Web Copy

Well-written website content can can act as your best sales person. I tell my clients all the time that one of the most important components of your website is the copy. If it has been written by a copywriter then it is going to work. But, if it is dotted with grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, boring business speak/cliches, then it will fall flat. Remember that to succeed online, you need to capture peoples attention quickly. Only a copy writer can do this for you. How else are you going to position your business in the best possible light?

Far Too Many Customer Complaints

Here are some classic signs that your website needs a refresh if you are hearing complaints like this from your customers:
– your website takes ages to load and when it does I can’t view it properly
– I didn’t recognise your business – your logo has changed and it is not on your website
– I couldn’t find the checkout area for the site – I added the products to the cart but I can’t buy them.
– Your phone numbers and address are wrong
– Do you still offer that service/product – I was under the impression that you no longer offered that.
– I tried contacting that staff ember who I saw on your website but they no longer work for you.
– It took me ages to find your site – it wasn’t on Google.
– Your website froze 2 or 3 times each time I tried to access it.

If you hear any of the above points mentioned then this is a huge warning sign. Perhaps make a list of these errors or complaints that you get over time and give them to your web developer, who can them go about making these necessary web changes.

You Cannot Use Your Content Management System.

Refreshing your website and updating it with new information, products or content is what your customers want. If you cannot do this through your CMS then you MUST look at changing your CMS platform. We recommend using a WordPress content management system for your website refresh.

Getting Ripped Off By Your Web Company

You are locked into web contracts that require you to pay expensive monthly fees for ‘ who knows what’. You have been paying it for that long that you actually can’t remember what it is for. If this is happening to you – then it’s time for a complete website change.

Over 18 years of website design and web development experience means that we are able to clearly look at your business, make constructive design recommendations and implement these throughout all your marketing, sales, communication material as well as your website. We can even handle all your online digital marketing such as search engine optimisation and social media.

We offer a complete all in one service that should cover all the design and web needs that your engineering or construction firm may require. All our work is handles from both our Sydney and Melbourne offices and all design projects are carried on in house.

Hopping Mad’s expertise across both Web design and database design and development make up another dimension of full-service offerings and capabilities which benefit both construction and  engineering companies.

Many engineering companies have many parts and materials suppliers. Hopping Mad Designs is able to quickly and cost-effectively implement complex ( if required) back-end databases that integrate supplies and manufacturers as well as design and develop product CRM systems from the beginning. Basically we can handle any project your company can put our way and manage the whole process from initial briefing stage right through to development, mobile phone web design ( responsive design), social media management and digital marketing.

Hopping Mad can also help engineering firms and construction companies secure lucrative government tenders through the design of specific micro websites that promote and highlight tender proposals online. It’s so much more effective to do it this way and the impact it has is enormous.

Please give us a call on 02 9360 8514 to see how we can help you design and build your new website or just give your brand a bit of a refresh/overhaul.

What Forms Does Social Media Take?

Social Media covers many areas. First thing that comes to mind is Facebook. This is the most established social media platform, with everyone I know on it. Other social media platforms include Twitter, Blogs, Google+, Pinterest and one that I really love Instagram. These Social Media Platforms are all free to join and takes only a couple of minutes to register your business profile.

What Social Media Platforms Are Best For My Business?

Obviously, marking your business on these social media platforms takes a lot of time and effort. To be continually updating each social platform is virtually impossible. That is why you should pick the most appropriate ones for your business and focus on building your online profile there. As a design company I know we like to post new websites that we have just made live on Facebook and Twitter. It’s your call but as a minimum all businesses should at least have a Facebook and Google Plus page.

One other important social platform commonly overlooked is a blog on your own website. People I come across will have a great take up of  the common social media platforms but are in the dark when it comes to how a blog can really increase your online presence and spread the word about your business. Have a read of the Hopping Mad corporate blog to see some of the topics we cover and how each article ranks on Google. It’s a powerful way of covering a wide range of topics really easily.

Are Social Media Campaigns Expensive?

Not really. It depends on how far you want to take them. Some larger companies will employ a team of Social Media experts to manage their online campaigns, whilst other smaller businesses will do it themselves. Perhaps with the help of a company, publishing relevant content say twice a month. Overall, businesses need to start to embrace social media as a real and true platform to showcase their services or products as more traditional forms of marketing fall by the wayside.

How Do I Find Companies That Can help Me With My Social Media Campaigning?

This is hard. Finding the right company can be a bit of a challenge. The first step would be to speak with your web design company to see if they have experience with social media or content marketing. I know that to get the mix right you need a company that has a strong understanding of what works and what doesn’t online plus a good dosage of search engine optimisation experience.

How Do I Market My Blog On Social Media Platforms?

The way I do it is simple. I write a blog article and publish it on the hopping mad website. I then take the blog link and post it on Twitter, Google Plus and lastly my LinkedIn page. All these social media submissions trigger an alert with Google and your blog post can be up there for the world to see in a matter of days. This is really content marketing and a whole new topic, but if you are keen on SEO, then this is the way to go. I am more than happy to discuss this with you if all this sounds too confusing. A point to note is that businesses that constantly blog, will have a higher amount of web traffic than those who don’t. The whole formula is simple: blog, tweet, facebook it, post it and then wait for the people to follow.

As you can see, content combined with your social media will lead to an increase in the amount of web traffic. What a great way to increase business, generate sales and promote yourself online.

Give us a call if you'd like to know more about blogs, Twitter feeds, Instagram pics and likes.

Social media campaigns are working well for our business and it with a little help it could be doing similar positive things for your company as well. It’s not hard to do and only takes a little bit of practice and patience.