Tag: website design

website-conversion-optimization

How to Design Your Website for Conversion Optimization

Posted on | by Agency Partner Interactive

Having a well-designed website is crucial for conversion optimization. Your website is frequently the first impression potential customers will have of your business, which can make or break their choice to purchase from you. This post will explore tips to help you design your website for optimal conversion rates.  

We’ll cover the importance of knowing your target audience, optimizing your website design, improving your website’s user experience, optimizing your website’s content, and using analytics to track your progress. By implementing these tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating a website that effectively converts visitors into customers. 

Know Your Target Audience 

Understanding your target audience is essential for designing a website that converts visitors into customers. Here are some tips for researching your audience and creating user personas: 

Conduct surveys 

One of the most successful ways to learn about your target audience is to conduct surveys. You can use online survey tools like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms to gather information about your customers’ demographics, preferences, and pain points. 

Analyze website analytics 

Another way to understand your audience is to analyze your website analytics. You can use Google Analytics to track audience attitudes, such as how long they spend on your site, what pages they visit, and what keywords they use to find your website. 

Use social media 

Social media can also provide valuable insights into your target audience. You can monitor social media conversations to understand what your customers are talking about and what they care about. 

Create user personas 

Once you have gathered information about your audience, it’s time to create user personas. An audience persona is an imaginary character that represents a typical customer. By creating personas, you can better understand your customers’ needs, preferences, and pain points and design your website to meet their needs. 

Remember that creating user personas is an ongoing process. As your business grows and develops, so will your target audience. Make sure to regularly update your user personas to ensure that they accurately reflect your customers’ needs and preferences.  

Optimize Your Website Design 

A visually appealing website design is essential for converting visitors into customers. Here are some tips for optimizing your website’s design: 

Keep it simple 

A clean and simple website design can make it better for visitors to navigate your site and find the necessary information. Use a clear and easy-to-read font and ensure your website’s layout is intuitive and easy to use. 

Highlight the most important elements 

Use design elements like color, contrast, and whitespace to draw attention to the most important features on your site, such as your products or calls to action. Ensure your website’s design is consistent across all pages to create a cohesive look and feel. 

Use high-quality images 

 High-quality images showcase your products and make your website more visually appealing. Use professional product photography or stock images to ensure that your images are clear and crisp. 

Maintain a consistent color scheme 

A consistent color scheme can create a cohesive and professional look for your website. Choose a color that matches your brand and use it consistently throughout your website. 

Improve Your Website’s User Experience 

Creating a seamless user experience is crucial for converting visitors into customers. Here are some tips for improving your website’s user experience: 

  • Creating a simple and intuitive navigation menu makes it effortless for visitors to find what they want. Use clear and descriptive labels for each menu item, and ensure your menu is easily accessible from every page on your site. 
  • Use clear and compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) to encourage visitors to take action on your site, such as ensuring a purchase or subscribing to a newsletter. Use contrasting colors and ensure your CTAs are prominently displayed on your site. 
  • Ensure your checkout process is simple and only asks for essential information. A complicated process can lead to cart abandonment. Use progress indicators to show customers how many steps are left in the checkout process. 
  • More people are using mobile devices to access the internet, so creating a website optimized for mobile is important. Use responsive design to make sure that your site fits all screen sizes and make sure that your website’s navigation is easy to use on a phone or tablet. 

Optimize Your Website’s Content: 

Creating engaging and informative content is essential for converting visitors into customers. Here are some tips for optimizing your website’s content: 

  • Your website’s headlines should be clear, concise, and compelling. Use powerful words and emotional language to grab visitors’ attention and draw them in. 
  • Your product descriptions should be comprehensive, informative, and persuasive. Use comprehensive language to help visitors visualize the product and highlight the product’s unique features and benefits. 
  • Customer reviews and testimonials can build trust and credibility with potential customers. Use reviews and testimonials to highlight the positive experiences that other customers have had with your products or services. 
  • Use high-quality images, videos, and infographics to enhance your website’s content and make it more engaging. Visuals can convey complex information in an easily digestible format. 

Use Analytics to Track Your Progress 

Using website analytics is crucial for tracking your website’s performance and identifying areas for improvement. Here are some tips for using website analytics to optimize your website for conversion: 

Set up website analytics 

Use a tool like Google Analytics to track important metrics like pageviews, bounce, and conversion rates. Set conversion measuring to monitor the effectiveness of your calls-to-action and other conversion-focused elements. 

Analyze your data 

Use your website analytics to identify areas where visitors drop off, such as high bounce rates on certain pages. Use this information to change your website’s design and content to improve user engagement and encourage conversions. 

Test and refine 

Continuously refine your website’s design and content to improve conversion rates. Use A/B testing to compare different versions of your website and determine which version performs best. 

Key Takeaways: Optimizing Your Website for Conversions 

Designing your website for conversion optimization is essential for business success. Use user personas to guide your design and content choices, and constantly test and refine your website for optimal conversion rates. By implementing these tips, you can create a website that converts visitors into customers. 

Designing a website for conversion optimization is an ongoing process. Continuously monitor your website’s analytics and gather customer feedback to identify improvement areas. By prioritizing your customers’ needs and creating a seamless user experience, you can create a website that drives clicks and sales and builds customer trust. 

Get a Conversion Driving Website with Agency Partner Interactive  

Your website is one of the most crucial assets for your brand. It’s a powerful revenue-generating tool that can increase your business reach, bring in high-quality traffic, and drive reliable, long-term sales for your bottom line.  

At Agency Partner Interactive, we understand the importance of website conversion optimization. We use proven strategies and tactics to help you turn your website visitors into paying customers.  

Whether you need a custom WordPress web design or a new web development project from scratch, our expert web design team can create a fast, responsive, and conversion-driven site to help you stay ahead of your competitors. We deeply understand user experience, from intuitive infrastructure to pain points and challenges. It’s what informs our meticulous design process and how we’ve achieved award-winning status with over 1800+ successful web projects. Ready to get a revenue-driving website that works as hard as you? Get your free personalized proposal today! 

website-design

How to Design a Website

Posted on | by devops
Expert Tips For How to Design a Website

A web presence is essential in a digital world, especially if you’re a business or brand. Did you know that the very first website was launched on August 6, 1991? Now there are nearly 1.9 billion of them! But how do you even design a website in the first place?

A website uses 3 main languages to set its framework, design, and performance

  • HTML defines the basic structure and accessibility of websites
  • CSS sets the presentation, style characteristics, and layout of its pages.
  • JavaScript controls a website page’s interactivity

So how about in plain English this time…

Let’s break that down step by step, shall we?

Set your intent

What’s your purpose in creating the site? Got a product to sell or a service to promote? Maybe you want to start a blog or portfolio or new social hub, and the term “Community Standards” makes your head want to explode. Set your own! Having a clear picture of why you’re creating will make the flow of this process so much easier from start to finish.

Choose a host or website builder

A site host like Vultr or SiteGround may be all you need if you truly want to create your site from scratch. But if that’s a little more in-depth than you’re interested in, check out a website builder such as WordPress and Zyro. Wanna simplify the process even more? Agency Partner can take care of web development for you!

Register your domain name

There are three primary, customizable parts to a domain name:

  • Subdomain: typically ‘www’ (#funfact it can technically be any combo of letters!)
  • Root domain: your unique site address
  • Top-Level Domain: .com, .net, and .org are most common

Depending on availability, you can purchase a domain name for as little as $2.99 annually. Think about what your full URL might look like when choosing each part. Consider the relevance of TLDs in your niche and industry; for example, .org typically doesn’t make much sense for an eCommerce site.

Define the layout

The structure can be critical to the success of a website. If navigation is not clear or intuitive to the user, they won’t stick around, and your bounce rate metric will skyrocket. No Bueno!

Consider your brand

Make sure the site reflects the brand and its messaging. Even an artist building that online portfolio or a non-profit seeking online donations need a clear brand identity. From the micro and UX copy of your hamburger menu to any site error messages, the tone of voice must be consistent across the entire site. How about the color palette? If you have a brand logo, is it being thoughtfully placed in your design?

Prep your content

Think about what relevant types of content can help you build authority and trustworthiness in your industry to drive traffic and engage your ideal customer avatar. Batch create your content as far in advance as possible, try using content calendars to stay organized, and always hit that ‘Preview’ button before you publish anything!

Strategize your SEO  

How do your customers find you in an ocean of competition these days? Through search engine optimization, or SEO! This affects almost everything about your site, right down to that domain name you picked. Consider your keyword strategies when creating content, defining your user interface (UI), and even crafting back-end content like metadata! Ensure these keywords are terms your customers would naturally use when looking for what you offer, and always follow SEO best practices.

Include useful pages 

Could your site’s users benefit from an FAQ? Need a ‘Contact Us’ or booking page? Always keep first in mind your users’ needs and experience while they’re visiting. Anything that you can make native to your site to minimize site redirection is ideal! If you’re a restaurant, make sure to have your current menu, contact info, business hours, etc., directly available within your own site so that the user doesn’t need to go anywhere else for it!

Design your website elements 

Popular user-friendly platform Canva is an excellent resource, both its free and Pro versions, especially if you’re more of a beginner with graphic design, though Photoshop and Adobe XD remain the industry standard. Both YouTube and Skillshare host tons of design tutorials for all skill levels. Remember that a very elements-heavy site will likely run slower for your users than a more streamlined, minimalist approach. Good news for you beginners! For website design ideas, we love perusing Pinterest and Elementor. Also, hiring a pro graphic designer might be a wise investment, time- and money-wise. A site that doesn’t truly look polished and professional is much less likely to be trusted as a legitimate page.

Make it accessible for everyone. 

ADA compliance across the digital space has seen a massive push in recent years, and we at API are here for it. In fact, complying makes you eligible for a tax deduction of up to $5,000! Not sure if yours is up to compliance standards? Check out these tips, or have API do a full site audit for you!

Optimize for device compatibility

Approximately half of all website traffic comes from mobile devices as of 2017, so it’s essential to consider how your site will look and function outside of just a standard computer.

Set up back-end analytics

If your web builder doesn’t have site analytics built-in, or you need a deeper view, consider signing up for Google Analytics for insight into your site’s performance.

Now for the scariest part of all – Hit ‘Publish’!

Yep, it’s definitely a lot, but take it one step at a time. You got this! You no longer have to know the ins and outs of coding to build a beautiful, user-friendly website. Of course, that’s not to say using a site builder is easy enough for absolutely everyone or that everyone has the time to build a site themselves. So, if you don’t get this, remember Agency Partner is one Contact Us page away! 

landing-page-design

The Ultimate Guide to Landing Pages

Posted on | by Agency Partner
Expert Tips For The Ultimate Guide to Landing Pages

Every website owner needs landing pages to convert the traffic coming in from ads or call-to-action buttons. Once they are on a landing page, individual users may convert to leads or customers. Therefore, landing pages are an integral part of your business’s digital marketing strategy. This landing page guide will show you how to go about converting traffic to your website into customers. 

What Is a Landing Page? 

A landing page is a web page intended to convert general visitors into leads. Its preparation starts during the website design process with the inclusion of lead forms. Visitors who opt to fill the forms provide contact information, usually email addresses. 

The Purpose of a Landing Page 

A website has many sections, including the “about us” and “home” pages. These other pages have distractions such as competing links, navigation, and other options. So why would you need a special page with a form to fill out? 

With a landing page, you can direct visitors to precisely where you want them to go. In short, the purpose of a landing page is to convert leads into customers. 

Landing Page Best Practices 

Landing page design is a precise craft that involves specific steps and elements known as landing page best practices. Look at each one of them in greater detail below: 

  1. Write a Headline With Clear Benefits

As part of your landing page strategy, you should aim to reduce the bounce rate as much as possible. That means showing visitors the benefit of signing up within the first few seconds. Write a headline with clear benefits since that’s the first thing visitors will see as soon as they “land” on that page. 

  1. Write Captivating Copy

Landing page optimization is concerned with clear, concise content that guides visitors to complete the action. You should write content from a second-person perspective with words such as “you” and “your.” A perfect line should go hand in hand with captivating words to support your call to action. 

  1. Choose an Appropriate Image

Every landing page should have an image that represents the target audience. In addition, it should convey how visitors will feel after receiving the offer. You may select several images and choose the most appropriate one after split testing. 

  1. Place the Lead Form Above the Fold

As part of your landing page optimization best practices, put the lead form in the most accessible location. The visitors shouldn’t have to scan the page to see the form. Instead, they should see the form or a connecting anchor link soon after hitting the page. 

  1. Add a Strong, Standout Call-to-Action

A landing page should have a strong call-to-action (CTA) to encourage conversion. Use color contrasting page elements to make your CTA button stand out. Also, clearly state what you expect visitors to do using an action verb like “get it now,” “download,” “purchase,” or “submit.” 

  1. Request for Specific Information

Every landing page guide you read will advise you to ask for specific information about your lead and nothing more. That will depend on how much the customer knows you, the position in their buyer’s journey, and the level of trust they have for you. If it is a new lead, an email address and a name are enough. 

  1. Make a Relevant Offer

Your landing page is an integral part of your visitor’s journey to purchasing your product or service. Therefore, make an offer in exchange for getting the lead’s personal information. The offer should be compelling enough to extract contact information from a visitor and relevant to the business. 

For example, you may offer “10 Benefits of Laptops in Business” because your ultimate intention is to sell a business laptop to the lead. However, an offer about printers will only direct the lead on a completely different path. 

  1. Remove Navigation Features

The purpose of a landing page is to convert visitors into leads – period. Competing links such as those to other pages within the website can only be a distraction. Ask your web design agency to remove navigation features and other links that could sway visitors to the main objective – converting them into leads and customers. 

  1. Optimize for Search

As part of your landing page optimization best practices, you should include keywords that make it rank highly on search engine results pages (SERPs). That applies to organic and paid search via Google Ads. It is better than relying solely on social media, email, and other digital marketing methods. 

  1. Build a Responsive Page

Every page on your website, including the landing page, should be responsive to different customer viewing experiences. The focus of website design should be to make the entire landing page readable on mobile devices. Consequently, visitors should be able to see the lead form to convert. 

  1. Include a “Thank You” Page

You should have a page where you redirect your customers soon after filling the lead form. It may contain a straightforward “thank you” message or an offer you had promised (like a download). The page’s purpose is to interest your lead beyond the relevant content and thank them for their interest in signing up. 

Landing Page Design Prerequisites 

Landing page design is a combination of creativity, attractive pictures, colors, functionality, and direction. Pay attention to the: 

  • Landing page structure includes headlines, relevant images, lead form, CTA, copy, and description. 
  • Landing page layout, which should have the most important information on top. You should also perform a blink test, use white space, write short paragraphs with bullets, and ensure visual patterns flow to them. 
  • Landing page colors, which should rhyme with the rest of your website color. It should make your brand immediately recognizable. 
  • Landing page images, which should be relevant to the information on the page. It should set the tone of the visitor’s entire experience from beginning to end. 
  • Call-to-action (CTA) directs visitors on what you want them to do. It should have a large button with vibrant, contrasting colors, less than five words, surrounded by white space, and where the reader’s eyes are likely to be. 

Conclusion 

With this landing page guide, you should craft highly converting pages that compel visitors to provide contact information. Of course, it would help if you worked with the right web design agency and content writers to implement suggestions on the checklist above. 

web-design-tips

Web Design Tips for Conferences and Events

Posted on | by devops
Expert Tips For Web Design Tips for Conferences and Events

Whether it is to discuss the new year’s plan, recap last year’s successes, or for pure celebration, conferences and events are being held more and more frequently by companies and organizations.

With the new year right around the corner, we thought it would be a great time to discuss a few web design tips to help you boost event attendance and conversion rates.

Make Important Information Clear And Obvious.

Just like your English teacher taught in grade school, you should make sure that the most important details – when, where, and why are clearly displayed and concise.

Yes, many people may already know where your event or conference will be held, why they should attend, and what time it will be, but many more people do not, and they need to access this information easily.

Remember, the event’s website is not the final product. The event is the final product. The website is simply a means to an end to get people to attend your event.

Give Details About The Event.

This tip may seem obvious, but think about how many times you’ve gone to an event website hoping to learn more about it and ultimately left the site filler like you didn’t get enough details?

By details, I don’t mean when and the where. I mean specific details about the event or conference activities, group activities like games and after-parties, local hotel accommodations, and area travel services.

The website design should provide visitors with tangible details to understand what the conference is about, what they will gain from experience, and what type of activities they can expect.

Remember: Be aware of who the audience is for your specific industry when it comes to guiding voicing and terminology. For example, Dental Website Design companies will likely be speaking to a very different event attendee from that of Construction Website Design Companies. When it comes to crafting the event detail text, let your designers know about those quirks upfront.

Make The Site User-Friendly.

Keep users front of mind when designing your website. This is good advice for any web design, no matter its purpose.

Put yourself in the visitor’s shoes and ask what visitors are looking for when coming to an event website? Think about where they might click, visually how they might flow through the page(s).

Keep interfaces simple, your layout crisp, and a few navigation or option buttons as possible.

Think of it this way, if you keep a visitor journey through your website streamlined, you tighten your sales funnel, make it more direct and much more influential based on what you choose to include or exclude from the design. When you have a clear funnel of action in place, conversion rates are sure to increase.

Use Impactful Visuals

Don’t be afraid to use visual content to help sell the conference to visitors. You can use pictures of your event location, interior and exterior shots, or well-known facilities, to name a few options.

Think about the visual appeal of your event that isn’t necessarily the main subject matter. Whether you use videos, photos, or both, try not to use stock photos.

Real images help to add that authentic feel. If you are having trouble selecting the right imagery, you can also use illustrations in your visual mix. A lot can be communicated through a well-designed graphic.

Make It Mobile

Most websites today are mobile compatible, and if they’re not, they are far behind the times and need to catch up. An intuitive and responsive web design gives prospective attendees a consistent user experience. And it’s also great for search engine optimization (SEO).

Google favors mobile-optimized sites and tends to rank these sights higher in search results. In fact, as we discussed in this earlier post, you can read here, Google now penalizes websites that are not mobile responsive.

We Can Help

Web design for conferences and events is a lot like party planning. You have to keep your guests and attendees in front of mind at all times during the design process.

What will attract their attention? What info do I include? What info do I not include? What color scheme do I use? And ultimately, what will persuade visitors most to decide not only to visit my site but attend the actual event?

All these questions are ones you need to keep in mind, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. There’s much more that goes into designing a website for conferences and events.

Agency Partner specializes in web design for these types of special occasions. While you focus on making sure your guest speakers are booked and arrive on time, let us handle the marketing aspects of your company’s event.

Not big on reading? That’s okay. Watch “Web Design Tips for Conferences and Events” instead. Using the power of Artificial Intelligence, we turned this blog into a video for you. Check it out below!

inbound_website_marketing

6 Steps to Creating a Successful Inbound Website.

Posted on | by devops
Tips from Web Development Experts

Inbound websites are the way of future marketing. Analytics surf your content for your businesses interests and funnel specific ads relative to those interests directly to your customers. It’s called Inbound Marketing. Instead of outbound marketing, that of casting a wide net, this method focuses on the conversion of a specific target audience.

Outbound marketing is becoming more ineffective as customers are showing signs of ‘banner blindness’. They want to know why the product is good for them, specifically. There are a number of things to consider to make your website an inbound traffic lane. 

Your Website Sells

Whether it’s blogs, education, a portfolio, or physical products, your website is your first line of sales. Your sales team should be referencing your webpage daily for leads. Your webpage should strive to sell your product for you so that by the time a customer talks to a sales rep, the sale has already been made. 

Your Website is all about the Customer 

Customers want to know they can trust in their time and energy investment. To accomplish this you need to provide valuable content–answer questions, provide education, be up-front, honest, and direct. 

Customers want clear, concise information to get them straight to the point. The best way to deliver that information is video. Customers want to connect and relate to others. They want normal people to review the product and explain to them, specifically, why that product is going to improve their lives. 

Website SEO

You need to be findable on search engines, and that means understanding search engine optimization (SEO) and formatting. You need to consider how your website functions and make it an appealing search result for the analytics. This has a great deal to do with dwell time (how much time a customer is on your page), content freshness (updates of what is on the page as well as how it is presented), website load speed (refresh rates), mobile access (computer to ‘phone conversation), and SSL Certification (the security of your website). 

Experience-Driven Websites

The business needs to express consideration for the customer experience. Your customer wants a personalized experience where information is clear and straightforward. Here questions can be answered quickly and easily, purchasing is a streamlined process, and the service is friendly and approachable. 

Website Conversion Rate 

Conversion rate is that of taking the unknown viewer and turning them into a known repeat customer which can be accomplished by adding a self-selection tool, such as a form, quiz, or chatbot on your website. This process will direct the customer to the desired information without forcing them to hunt through your content, generating data for the analytics to show that your site is providing value. 

Your Business Website  

At the end of the day, the biggest key to website success is you, the business owner. You need to be able to access and use your website with ease: to update content, track analytics, review sales, and provide excellent customer service.

Agency Partner can help you get there by building you a website with these points in mind. We’ll also include an easy to use content management system (CMS), ensuring that the back end work of maintaining and updating your website is a breeze. 

Not big on reading? That’s okay. Watch “6 Steps to Creating a Successful Inbound Website” instead.

Using the power of Artificial Intelligence, we turned this blog into a video for you. Check it out below!

 

android_vs_ios

The Difference Between Android and iOS App Development

Posted on | by devops
Tips from Web Development Experts

Two of the biggest brands, Apple with iOS and Google with Android, are consistently upgrading and reaching new levels within the tech world. Whether they’re improving phone features or fixing bugs, the value by which these companies operate is obvious–to improve the end-user experience.  

To keep users happy, certain aspects of the app development process need to be taken into account. Especially if developers intend to see a return on investment. Essentials such as programming languages, design principles, time constraints, budget, user spending, and location all need to be considered. 

Programming Languages 

The tools used to create an app need to be taken into account. Those with expertise in Java or Kotlin will find Android a viable choice for the development phase, as iOS apps are coded in Swift. When it comes to the building sites, or the Integrative Development Environments (IDE), Studio and Xcode cater to Android and iOS app design respectively. 

Design Principles 

Aesthetics play a crucial role in the success of an app. Visual elements have powerful impacts on users and their concentration or distraction levels. When these elements fit in with the intent of the application, users are inclined to continue using it, based on the ease and enjoyment it provides.

Costing Variations

If you are creating your own app, rather than hiring a specialist, there are no initial costs during the design and development phases. However, publishing your app on the Android and iOS stores will cost a small sum of money. Android has a one time fee of $25 USD, while Apple charges $99 USD annually.

App Store Verification 

App Developers need to be aware of the potential damage that they could do to a brand if their product is not perfect. Android app creators need to be vigilant about potential bugs and errors within their designs, as the screening process prior to launch is carried out by a bot.

Unfortunately, bots are not perfect just yet, which sometimes leads to applications being launched onto stores with minor faults–users are very quick to criticize any faults or bugs that are found. Apple’s verification can take up to three weeks to complete as it undergoes in-house expert scrutiny which makes it possible for rejection. 

Monetizing Applications

As a developer, armed with the knowledge that out of the two audience options, Android users are less likely to pay for apps, there is the chance to capitalize through in-app, optional purchases and the implementation of advertisement banners.

Android And iOS App Development

Developing an app for iOS may seem like a quicker process than doing so for Android, as the developer would only need to consider the Apple product lines released within 5 to 6 years. Whereas, when developing a mobile app for Android it must work on a wider variety of phones and tablets, which use varying Android operating systems. This explains why the app launches and updates are released earlier in iOS.

The end goal is to have the app available on both platforms., however, which can be costly to implement in the beginning. As is evident, when narrowed down to the skeleton, deciding between Android or iOS development systems is not an easy feat, however, the answer lies in the specs as well as the developer’s resources and intent.

With the help of our in-house experts, Agency Partner can assist with the design and development phases of both iOS and Android systems, curating your ideas and transforming them into innovative applications. From mobile versions of websites, restaurant applications, and games, Agency Partner can help you launch your app with ease.

We even provide industry-leading support post-launch, with a team of digital marketers who will make sure that your app is well-received by your target market.

Not big on reading? That’s okay. Watch “The Difference Between Android and iOS App Development” instead.

Using the power of Artificial Intelligence, we turned this blog into a video for you. Check it out below!

 

custom_web_application

99 Problems But Custom Application Development Isn’t One

Posted on | by devops
Tips from App Development Experts

Creating a custom application is no small feat and it sounds pretty terrifying to most people, especially if you have no experience. If you happen to need a complex custom application with several integrations to power its features and functionalities, you should opt to hire a professional to take care of the design and development for you.

At a super high level, here is a look at some of the components that go into this effort. 

5 Things to Consider:

1. Choose a Hosting Platform 

A web host is a location where you decide to set up shop for your custom application. It is your landlord to whom you pay rent to house all of your digital content. Each page within your application is a room with its own set of amenities and décor such as the images you display on the walls.

As you can imagine, some applications will have more detail than others depending on the level of attention given to keeping it clean and orderly.

Just like any lease contract, you will want to do your homework when choosing a provider to host your custom app. Read all the terms and conditions and be sure to consider scalability. 

2. Choose a Brand and Domain Name 

A domain name or URL is your location’s home address. A website will typically serve as the front door to your web application — once you’re there, you step right into the app after successfully logging in.

In cases where you are building a custom app for mobile, whether it by for iOS, Android, or a Hybrid app, your website serves to direct people to the app store for downloads and updates.

3. Map It Out 

This step is a process of strategically mapping out the type of furniture and décor that will go in each room. As stated above, each page of your app is its own “room” and each will serve a specific purpose. Your Home Page, or Landing Page, will serve as your front door — the first visual people see upon arriving at your site.

Some people display big beautiful photos on their front door to entice people to enter while others may post their store hours and the services they provide and call it a day. 

Before you start designing or building rooms, you should have a clear strategy for the furniture and décor (i.e. content) that those pages will contain. Whatever you do, at each step, be sure to put yourself in the customer or users’ shoes when making decisions.

4. Design Your Custom Application

The design step is easily the most complicated step for most people because it is the first technical step of building a custom app. People often hire a professional UI/UX designer. UI designers are experts at designing the User Interface, which is what app users interact with at face level. The UI is what you see.

Additionally, a UX designer is someone who is an expert at User Experience design. These designers are a little more technical in nature and they aim to bridge the gap between the User Interface, the end users’ wants and needs, and how all that pertains to the overall business goal of the application. 

5. Keep Up With Maintenance 

Once you are up and running, you will want to ensure everything stays running smoothly and in working order.

You’ll most likely need a maintenance repair person. If a light bulb goes out or the air conditioner breaks, who is meant to repair it? As often as not, hosting providers will offer this as an additional service or as part of a package deal. So it’s worth having a look at the ones that do — especially if you are not very tech-savvy.

As you can see, building a basic application can be simple if you want a simple app for your business. However, the more complexities you add to your application, the more you’ll have to consider as it pertains to scalability, design, and development needs.

Choosing the right web host platform for your business app can be a daunting first step. Although no two applications are the same, all great apps have one thing in common – a plan from start to finish and an ability to consistently improve. You could go it alone, but with Agency Partner, we’ll help you get past any learning curves to ensure that your project creates the most immediate value for your stakeholders.

Not big on reading? That’s okay. Watch “99 Problems But Custom Application Development Isn’t One” instead.

Using the power of Artificial Intelligence, we turned this blog into a video for you. Check it out below!

website_design_steps

5 Steps to Build a Website

Posted on | by devops
Tips from Web Design Experts

Creating a website is no small feat and it sounds pretty terrifying to most people, especially if you have no experience. If you happen to need a complex website you could opt to Hire a Professional to take care of it for you; however, for a basic site, you may be able to DIY with a few simple steps, and not too many tools.

Here are five simple steps to get you started:

1. Choose a Hosting Platform 

A web host is a location where you decide to set up shop. It is your landlord to whom you pay rent to house all your digital content.

Each web page is a room with its own set of amenities and decor such as the images you display on the walls. As you can imagine some websites will have more detail than others depending on the level of attention given to keeping it clean and orderly.

Just like any lease contract, you will want to do your homework when choosing a provider to host your website. Read all the terms and conditions.

2. Choose a Domain Name 

A domain name or URL is your location’s home address. What’s cool about building a website is that you get to personalize it and choose your street name. You will want to put some thought into this as this is how people will remember how to find you on the web.

You will want to decide if you want a .com Address or one of the many other options. There is a fee to register a domain name and often you can find web hosting providers that will include a domain name registration as part of a Package Deal, which helps to streamline the process.

3. Map It Out 

This step is primarily strategically mapping out the type of furniture and decor that will go in each room. As stated above, each page is its own room and will serve a specific purpose. Your Home Page, or Landing Page, will serve as your front door–the first visual people see upon arriving at your site.

Some people display big beautiful photos on their front door to entice people to enter while others may post their store hours and the services they provide and call it a day. 

Before you start designing or building rooms, you should have a clear strategy for the furniture and decor (i.e. content) that those pages will contain.

4. Design Your Website

The design step is easily the most complicated step for most people because it is the first technical step of building a website. People often hire a professional even for the most basic websites at this phase after realizing, during the intense learning curve, how much work it can be.

There are, of course, cost-effective options when you Build a Website, but it would serve you well to learn some basic coding. That said, there are web hosting platforms that provide an easier approach to this phase with more drag-and-drop design options.

5. Keep Up With Maintenance 

Once you are up and running and opened your doors for business, you will want to ensure everything stays running smoothly and in working order. You’ll most likely need a maintenance repair person. If a light bulb goes out or the air conditioner breaks, who is meant to repair it?

As often as not, web hosting providers will offer this as an additional service or as part of a package deal. So it’s worth having a look at the ones that do–especially if you are not very tech-savvy.

As you can see, building a basic website can be simple if you want a simple website. However, the more complexities you add to your home, the more work it requires. It can be the difference between a tiny minimalist home in the country to a big house atop a mountain. Both are fully functional and operational, yet one has more bells and whistles to implement and maintain.  

Choosing the right Web Host Platform for your business can be a daunting first step. Although no two sites are the same, all great sites have one thing in common – a plan from start to finish. You could go it alone, but with Agency Partner Interactive, we’ll help you get started on the right foot and build a website that is best suited for you.

Not big on reading? That’s okay. Watch ” 5 Steps to Building a Website” instead.

Using the power of Artificial Intelligence, we turned this blog into a video for you. Check it out below!

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Web Design Basics to Improve your Foot Traffic

Posted on | by devops
Tips from Web Design Experts

 

7 Web Design Basics to Consider When Making Your Website the Best it Can Be

Web design is fundamentally the same as print design. You’re aiming for something that grabs attention, catches the eye and flows smoothly. The web design basics are the elements of contrasting color, font styles, layout, and borders. All of this is what inspires a customer to explore your site and invest in your content. 

Web Design Move-ability

Move-ability, or flow, is the design and navigation of your site. A crucial part of web design is concise web pages that are not too long with grammatical perfection and working links. That’s your message. We need to access your message with ease.

Web Design Page Layout

How is your foot traffic going to view this page? On a computer? A phone? A projector? Responsive Web Design (RWD) will Change the Perspective of your Web Page to device-appropriate dimensions so that no matter the platform, your website remains understandable and accessible. 
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is an accessible design option that will make creating web design layout a breeze. You can pick from templates or design from scratch. The benefits of CSS is that not only are the options vast, but they will impact every page of your site, saving both time and money as you implement updates to your design. 

Web Design Basics: Cursive Versus Print

Font style is a major component of web design. We already know that print is typically easier to read and understand than cursive. Where wanting to stand out is excellent, some fonts out there come across with the wrong voice or attitude. Aim for a font that reflects the Content of your work. 

Pastels or High Contrast in Web Design

The color Design of your site should reflect the nature of the content being sold. Consider your color wheel when you’re tweaking this Web Design. If I’m selling a yoga blog with classes, I’m going pastels. If I’m selling the Waldorf Astoria, it’s all non-gloss ivory and gold filigree. 

A Web Design Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

In web design, an appropriate picture can convey what too many words will make confusing. Studies have shown that people have an incredibly short attention span. Ensuring that your website features short content with visuals to get the message across will be a better grab than a block of text that the customer has to scroll through endlessly. 

Got the Map to This Web Design?

Navigation is one of the most important aspects of your web design. Links, subheaders, and menus should be visible, accessible and, of course, working. Try to make your pages loop back to each other instead of sending your foot traffic, offsite unless you absolutely have to. You want your foot traffic to engage with your site as long as Possible.

Agency Partner Web Design Software

Picking the right software for your web design can be a trying and annoying experience as so much information out there can be mean trail, error, and loss of time and money. With Agency Partner we’ll help you get on track to get your site up and running with concise information and clear web design. 

Not big on reading? That’s okay. Watch ” Web Design Basics to Improve your Foot Traffic” instead.

Using the power of Artificial Intelligence, we turned this blog into a video for you. Check it out below!

 

A Webbed World: Design VS Development - API

A Webbed World: Design VS Development

Posted on | by devops
Design VS Development 
Tips from Web Design and Development Experts

To accurately define the terms, Web Design & Development, the latter first needs to be divided into two components, front-end, and back-end. Each of these plays a purposeful role in the creation, execution, and receptivity of a website. 

Web Design VS Web Development

There is a fusion occurring in the web world. Developers and designers are often mistaken and casually interchanged when discussed. However, their CV’s boast skill sets that differ from the other. Job postings may also get them confused, especially as developers and designers are expanding their knowledge into each other’s fields.

While this gives them both more possibilities and understanding of a broader scope of web work, the two pools are flowing into one, and the water appears murky with confusion. These definitions, in layered order, should add a drop of clarity. 

Back-end Web Development

These developers have in-depth knowledge of how to work with the website’s core. Their focus is on how the site works, and they power it with programs like Java, PHP, Python, Net, Ruby, and more. It is also necessary for them to have a foundational knowledge of both HTML and CSS.

Their ability to communicate with the server is conducted through coded programming languages, which allows them to cultivate the external layout via the website’s back-end. Speed, responsiveness, and efficacy are all essential characteristics of a website, and as administrators of the unseen, the purpose of a back-end developer lies in foundation laying. 

Front-end Web Development 

With languages consisting of HTML, CSS, and Javascript, a front-end Web Developer’s task is to focus on the client’s perspective and build on what the back-end developer has put in place. They’ll fill in details such as drop-down menus, fonts, and sliders. When it comes to being aesthetically-minded, the front-end is the intermediate step between basic development and design.

They’re required to ensure a site or application’s attractiveness, ease of use, and SEO Ability, while a web designer plays purely with the user’s perspective. They employ a form of localization to ensure that the site platform translates across all web and browsing devices and ensure no errors or coding bugs exist. 

Web Design 

Web designers are the visual promoters and creatives of the web world who bring sites and applications to life. Their keen eyes and site-mapping expertise enables them to take an application or website and connect all its aspects for an attractive, harmonious feel and user experience.

They work their magic with balancing proportions of color, weight, texture, complexity, and other creative elements. Additionally, to make sure that the qualities don’t underwhelm or overstimulate the viewer to distraction, they determine the content that is spotlight-worthy.

Designers establish consistency and aesthetic balance for overall site acceptance and enjoyment. Their go-to tools are Adobe Photoshop, Sketch or Illustrator. It is also essential for Web Designers to have HTML, CSS, and Javascript dexterity. 

Back-end, front-end web developers, and web designers each cater to an aspect of the website and application process. It is clear that there are overlaps. While having broad knowledge is empowering, focusing your skills and experience into the skill set of one title is potent. 

Not big on reading? That’s okay. Watch “Design VS Development” instead.

Using the power of Artificial Intelligence, we turned this blog into a video for you. Check it out below!