Monthly Archives: December 2017

website design

Website Designing – The Mobile friendly approach

The continuous evolution of smart phones, regular release of newer mobile OS versions, availability of a huge variety of mobile applications from different app stores and high speed internet connections have completely transformed the way consumers use their mobile devices.

This has resulted in mobile users having overtaken desktop. Mobile users are now the most common internet consumers and around 25% of them exclusively use mobile technology to access the internet.

So designing your website to be aesthetically and functionally pleasing for mobile users can no longer be an afterthought but should be a priority when developing your website. Hence, having a mobile-friendly website isn’t just good practice — it’s a necessity.

Traditionally, the approach has been to design the best desktop site possible and then produce mobile variants by gradually removing content and functionality, stripping the site down to fit the reduced capability of smaller machines.  As a result, desktop sites are shoehorned onto mobile platforms which often results in an unsatisfactory experience. Mobile customers are left with websites lacking images, Call-to-action (CTA) often obscured, links difficult to click and contact pages buried in awkward menus. Visitors won’t stay on your site if they have to pinch and zoom or squint at illegible type or worse yet if it runs flash or anything that requires add-ons to display in a browser.To make matter worse these users are then left to scroll down endlessly to access the content they are interested in. This second-rate experience will only cause customers to become frustrated and finally click away to your competitor’s sites.

The most common option for companies looking for a mobile version of their website is to build a mobile site. This is a separate version of your website that users are redirected to when they access your website via a mobile phone or tablet. The main benefit of implementing a mobile version of a website is that it provides an optimized view across mobiles and tablets. Alternatively, there are other ways to approach a mobile web presence, such as implementing a separate mobile app or the most recent and popular approach, developing a Responsive Web Design.

Responsive-DesignImage Source : Google

Websites and Web applications have become progressively more complex as our industry’s technologies and methodologies advance. What used to be a one-way static medium has evolved into a very rich and interactive experience.

Regardless of the above factor, a website’s success still hinges on one thing: how users perceive it. “Does this website give me value? Is it easy to use? Is it pleasant to use?” These are the questions that run through the minds of visitors as they interact with our products, and they form the basis of their decisions on whether to become regular users.

User experience design (UXD or UED) is the process of enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty by improving the usability, ease of use, and pleasure provided in the interaction between the customer and the product.
No matter how much emphasis you lay on designing, in the end what comes to your rescue is a combination of UXD and a wonderful user interface that heightens the credibility of your mobile app/website.

Good user interface design facilitates finishing the task at hand without drawing unnecessary attention to it. Graphic design and typography are utilized to support its usability, influencing how the user performs certain interactions and improving the aesthetic appeal of the design.

A mobile user interface (mobile UI) is the graphical and usually touch-sensitive display on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet, which allows the user to interact with the device’s apps, features, content and functions.

In a mobile interface, symbols may be used more extensively and controls may be automatically hidden until accessed. The symbols themselves must also be smaller and there is not enough room for text labels on everything, which can cause confusion.This is where SVG comes into picture.

SVG (or Scalable Vector Graphics) is an XML-based file format that enables developers and designers to create high quality, dynamic graphics and graphical applications with a great level of precision.

Additionally while optimizing your website for mobiles, AMP is a resource which must be utilized to the fullest because of the various benefits that come handy.

The Accelerated Mobile Pages Project (AMP) is an open-source initiative from Google and Twitter to improve the performance of web contents and ads through a publishing technology known as AMP.

At its essence, it’s basically a stripped-down form of HTML, a predecessor of HTML if you will.But fundamentally, it’s an HTML page designed to be super lightweight by restricting code to increase loading speed and reliability.

guardianamp-734x1024Image Source : Google

The differences in AMP pages won’t be immediately obvious to the untrained eye as the above example demonstrates (AMP page shown on the left). It is only when a user has knowingly clicked on an AMP search result or knows what to look for that they may identify the subtle differences. The speed of loading, which is seriously rapid, will also provide the biggest clue to the fact that there is something different about the page.

Web pages and ads published in the AMP open-source format load near instantly, giving users a smooth, more engaging experience on mobile and desktop.AMP provides a relatively easy way to improve the speed of mobile websites for publishers.

google_s-accelerated-mobile-pagesImage Source : Google

By ensuring your website is fully responsive and optimized, you’re more likely to attract a higher number of customers who’ll spend longer looking at your product or service thereby helping you to accomplish your objectives.

Understanding SEO Keywords

Understanding-SEO-Keywords-1

Keywords are basically ideas and topics in the form of text that define what your content is about. In terms of SEO, they’re the words and phrases that users enter into search engines, also known as “search queries.”

As a website owner and content creator, you want the keywords on your page to be relevant to what people are searching for. This way they have a better chance of finding your content among the results.

Keyword research is the process of identifying Keywords, a practice used by SEO professionals to find and research actual search terms people enter into the search engines when conducting a search. Developing a list of keywords is the most important step in any search engine optimization initiative. Keywords and SEO are directly connected when it comes to running a winning search marketing campaign. Because keywords are functional for all your other SEO efforts, it is well worth the time and investment to ensure your SEO keywords are highly relevant to your audience and effectively organized for action.

SEO Keyword research should be an ongoing and ever evolving part. Old keywords need to be re-evaluated periodically and high volume, competitive keywords can often be usually replaced or augmented with longer, more specific phrases designed not to bring in just any visitor but exactly the right visitors.

Let’s get you acquainted with a few SEO Keyword terminologies that you ought to know to get a better understanding of the concept of keywords.

  • Keyword Planner – Google Keyword tool is an official product from Google, which gives a traffic estimation of target Keywords and also helps in finding more relevant and related Keywords for your niche. Keyword Planner is a free AdWords tool for new or experienced advertisers, like a workshop for building new Search Network campaigns or expanding existing ones. You can search for keyword and ad group ideas, see how a list of keywords might perform, and even create a new keyword list by multiplying several lists of keywords together. Keyword Planner can also help you choose competitive bids and budgets to use with your campaigns.
    Google-Keyword-PlannerImage source: Google
  • Keyword Proximity – The keyword proximity refers to the distance between the search terms and individual keywords. For example: a website contains the keywords that make up the search phrase “Advertising Agency Mumbai” in the heading “agency in Mumbai; creative boutique and digital marketing”. The search term proximity between ‘agency’ and ‘Mumbai’ is one word and that between ‘creative’ and ‘marketing’ is three words. The smaller the distance between a search term’s individual keywords, the more relevant it will be from a search engine’s point of view.
    keyword-proximity Image source: Google
  • Keyword Density– Keyword density tells you how often a search term appears in a text in relation to the total number of words it contains. For example: if a keyword appears three times in a 100 word text the keyword density would be 3%. From the point of view of search engines, a high keyword density is an indicator of a search engine spam. If a keyword appears too often in a website, search engines will downgrade the website and it will then appear lower down in search results. Hence it is highly necessary to maintain a proper equilibrium of keyword density, to obtain best results.
    keyword-density-formula
    Image source: Google
  • Keyword Stuffing – A webpage has a section that is hidden from users,  but contains all the words relevant to the page. Keyword stuffing is a black hat technique whereby this section is abused and filled by a high amount of irrelevant keywords, in the hope that it will be associated with these words and found when these words are searched for. Search engines penalize websites that it discovers using this technique.
    keyword-stuffing
    Image source: Google

       Examples of keyword stuffing include:

  • Lists of phone numbers without substantial added value
  • Blocks of text listing cities and states a webpage is trying to rank for
  • Repeating the same words or phrases so often that it sounds unnatural, for example: We sell custom stationery. Our custom stationery items are handmade. If you’re thinking of buying a custom stationery item, please contact our custom stationery sellers at custom.stationery@example.com.
  • Long-tail Keyword – Long-tail keywords are those three and four keyword phrases which are very specific to whatever you are selling. You see, whenever a customer uses a highly specific search phrase, they tend to be looking for exactly what they are actually going to buy. Take this example: if you’re a company that sells classic furniture, the chances are that your pages are never going to appear near the top of an organic search for “furniture” because there’s too much competition (this is particularly true if you’re a smaller company or a startup). But if you specialize in say, ‘contemporary art deco furniture’ then keywords like “contemporary Art Deco-influenced semi-circle lounge” is going to reliably find those consumers looking for exactly that product.
    Long-vs-Short-Tail-SEO-Diagram
    Image source: Google
  • Keyword Mapping - Keyword mapping is the process of assigning or mapping keywords to specific pages on a website based on keyword research. Based on your mapping process, you are able to then make specific on-page SEO recommendations to help make the page more relevant to the mapped keywords. Put simply, a keyword map aligns the keywords that prospective customers are using with the pages on your website, while providing a blueprint for adding new pages to attract more traffic. Keyword mapping is best done after you’ve performed thorough keyword research.
    keyword-mapping
    Image source: Google

All of this can seem quite complex if you are new to SEO Keywords. Fortunately, there are many tools available that help to figure out the right set of keywords.

A few popular ones are – Google Keyword Planner, SEMRush, Longtail Pro, Market Samurai, MOZ, Word Tracker; amongst others.

If you want Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) done for your brand or business, we can help you.
You can write to us at digitalrego@gmail.com and we’ll get back to you.

LinkedIn for Business

Linkedin-For-Business-1

LinkedIn is a platform built for professionals from all over the world to connect with each other and become more productive and successful.

LinkedIn has more than 500 million users in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, 40 percent of whom check the platform every day.

A substantial amount of key decision makers use this platform for business purposes. With that level of professional engagement, LinkedIn is a social network your business cannot afford to ignore.

Following are the ways you can use LinkedIn for your Business:

  • Establish your presence- Design your Company Page optimally by updating your company description, industry, website and more. Use rich, descriptive language that helps readers to understand your vision, purpose and the value you offer. Give a detailed description of the products or services you offer. Try to optimize your Company Pages to make them SEO friendly.
  • Gain and engage your followers- Once you’ve established your company presence on LinkedIn, you can begin fostering relationships by attracting followers to your Company Page. You can do so by engaging your colleagues, announcing your company page to customers & partners and furthermore, by adding a follow button to your website. By delivering useful and engaging content, you’ll foster engagement and help your message spread faster.
  • Grow your network and your potential supplier/customer base- LinkedIn is all about the network you build and the connections you make. For instance- your vendors, people you work with, people you meet at events. Due to LinkedIn’s advanced search capabilities, you just don’t stay updated with your current connections but also come across connections that your current connections have. Through this, you can leverage existing relationships to build new ones and grow your network.
  • Make use of LinkedIn Groups- LinkedIn groups provide you with access to the professionals in your target market, and the ability to communicate with the exact market you’re trying to reach is an opportunity that should not be missed. Here are a few ways to leverage LinkedIn groups.

First, your employees can join the groups that are related to both their professional profile and to your company’s industry & products. Second, they can start to engage with these groups by connecting with group members, placing comments on articles posted and most importantly for your company, share your great content. As you become a regular contributor and provider of answers, you will build brand awareness and attract qualified leads.

Like most other social networking platforms, LinkedIn also gives you an opportunity to use its sponsored tools to obtain the desired result.  Paid advertising on LinkedIn is still a relative bargain and can get your business in front of your market quickly.

With a user base of over 500 million and a home to highly relevant information, LinkedIn advertising solutions have become a powerful tool for marketers all over the world.

Whether you’re completely new to advertising on LinkedIn or just looking for some additional help, here are a few steps to help you build out your LinkedIn marketing strategy.

  • Advertising on LinkedIn

LinkedIn’s self-service solutions let you launch a targeted campaign in minutes. You can set your own budget, choose clicks/impressions and stop your ads at any time using Campaign Manager, LinkedIn’s all-in-one advertising platform.  Ad formats supported in Campaign Manager are Sponsored Content, Sponsored in Mail and Text Ads.

  • Managed Campaigns on LinkedIn

LinkedIn’s account-managed advertising allows you to partner with a dedicated LinkedIn team to create exclusively placed, highly visible ads for premium audiences.

  • Choose Your LinkedIn Ad Format

You can use Sponsored Content, Sponsored in Mail, Text Ads or a mix of all three. Sponsored Content is native advertising that appears directly in the LinkedIn feeds of professionals you want to reach. Sponsored in Mail is a unique ad format that lets you deliver personalized, relevant content through LinkedIn Messenger. Text Ads are simple but compelling ‘Pay-Per-Click’ (PPC) or ‘Cost-Per-Impression’ (CPM) ads.

Above all, remember that LinkedIn is a professional network that allows you to build credibility, create a meaningful network and glean insider expertise from top experts in your industry. It’s a valuable tool in your social marketing arsenal, so make sure you’re using every opportunity it provides.

If you want to create an awesome LinkedIn presence for your business, big or small, SME or an enterprise, we can help you.
You can write to us at digitalrego@gmail.com and we’ll get back to you.

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