Ayaz Nanji says, “Just under half (46%) of small business owners say their company does not have a website, according to a recent report from Clutch. The report was based on data from a survey of 350 US small business owners and managers, most of whom own or work for a company with 1-10 employees and less than $1 million in annual revenue. Some 32% of companies without a website say they do not have one because it is not relevant to their business/industry. Another 30% say they do not have one because of the cost, and 12% say they have a social media profile instead of a website”. Small... [...]

Robert Berris says, “It’s rare for your first website build to be the perfect fit for your users—or even for your business objectives. In the six (or more) months it takes for a traditional digital agency to build your website, business goals have likely shifted, users have demanded new features, and a competitor may have beat you to market. Yet, too often, companies spend months to launch a website and then do nothing to improve it. Instead, we tend to focus more on seemingly more important marketing channels: blogs, social media, email, and more. Though it’s vital to engage... [...]

Andrea Francis says, “Have you ever visited someone else’s website and felt confused about what the company did and where they wanted you to go on their site? An experience like that can really make you wonder about visitors’ experiences on your own website. Do your site visitors understand what you do and where you want them to go? Not only are these critical pieces of information to know, but they’re also worth checking in on regularly. Trouble is, the longer you spend on your own company website, the harder it can be to step back and understand objectively what might... [...]

Gary Tomer says, “Live chat is the ultimate sales hack. It’s a big call, but I stand by it. The reason is simple. It’s the easiest way to bump your website conversions in real-time without split testing. This won’t come as a surprise to many of you who have already tried live chat to increase leads (and save on customer service). But, for most of you, it didn’t work right away. Websites like Kissmetrics and SaneBox (which trialed our service when we founded) have tried live chat, and the data was conclusive. There was no increase in conversions, and in some cases a reduction. In... [...]

Nadav Shoval says, “The browsing experience is a two-way street. Today, nobody wants to be spoon fed information. Instead, they expect a chance to take part in the conversation, either by voicing an opinion or by participating directly in the action. In part, this trend has a lot to do with advancement of the millennial customer as they become increasingly dominant players as both business leaders and consumers. Millennials are hardly a passive generation. In fact, according to Search Engine Journal, Gen Y is eager to participate in a brand’s marketing. That’s why marketers have reported... [...]

Christopher Jan Benitez says, “Using “evergreen” topic ideas is an old strategy for continually generating and accumulating traffic with quality content. Unfortunately, a lot of marketers overlook the potential of certain content to be quickly repurposed and repackaged for a different platform of distribution. You could be missing out on huge traffic streams if you don’t know how to make your content visible to some of the most engaged and active online communities on the Internet. What is Content Repurposing? Content repurposing is a simple concept that can empower any marketer’s... [...]

Shubhomita Bose says, “Adobe has launched a website building tool to design customized websites right from within the company’s Creative Cloud Suite. Called Portfolio, Adobe’s latest offering makes it possible to build personalized websites in minutes, and competes with website building services such as Wix and Squarespace. Adobe says Portfolio has been “designed to take the pain out of editing and creating your website.” A quick look at the tool shows it does have some cool features to showcase your work. Features of Adobe Portfolio Portfolio allows businesses to create a website... [...]

If you don’t know HTML, you might have a hard time building a site, and especially, building one quickly. WordPress helps, but even with it, there’s usually a lot to learn, if you want a professional site. Peter Beattie saw this problem and knew it was an issue for many beginning online marketers. And he resolved to solve this problem, so that anyone, regardless of how little they know, can have an effective website. Beattie just released Rocket Builder, his software that will build your website, quickly, professionally and beautifully. This new software takes advantage of the good... [...]

John Boitnott says, “When you think about it, websites have made giant improvements in appearance over the years. In the ’90s, businesses merely rushed to set up an online presence, resulting in an Internet full of electronic brochures. The look and feel of sites has changed tremendously, much of it with the goal of giving customers a better experience. Potential buyers now show an interest in doing more than simply learning about a favorite store or restaurant. They want to order online, view menus, see live webcam shots of a location and more. Complicating matters is the fact... [...]

Ben Davis says, “Our web design trends for 2016 included a continued predilection for bold typography. So, we thought we’d bring you some typographical inspiration, with some examples from agencies, ecommerce and beyond. Consider us the fo(u)nt of all knowledge. Why not read the full list of web design trends for 2016. 1. ECC lighting Starting with ecommerce, ECC is a New Zealand site that sources European lighting and furniture. Product pages use a large Helvetica typeface with punctuation added to good effect. These are designer products and prices are steep, which seems to be a... [...]