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Web Design

Should You Obtain an SSL Certificate

Should You Obtain an SSL Certificate?

You have taken the time to design a website that you are proud of. You carefully crafted both the layout and content, but did you think about site security? If your website does not currently have one, you should consider obtaining an SSL certificate.

Why It’s Important

An SSL, secure socket layer, acts like a cocoon, protecting online communication sent between a website’s server and a user’s browser. Any website that collects personal data, such as addresses, phone numbers, user names, and passwords, should have a certificate. Possessing an SSL is also extremely important if your site conducts e-commerce, particularly if you want to maintain the trust and confidence of your site’s visitors.

Benefits of Having an SSL

Some websites neither participate in e-commerce nor collect personal information. Can an SSL still benefit these sites? The answer is, yes.

Greater Visibility

One benefit of an SSL certificate is the increased likelihood of your site getting a higher ranking in search results. In turn, a higher ranking may help increase traffic flow. This advantage illustrates why websites that do not collect personal data or conduct e-commerce should consider obtaining an SSL.

Increased Visitor Confidence

Another big advantage of an SSL is the trust and confidence it provides people who visit your site. People know a site is secure when they see a closed lock and a green “HTTPS” in the address bar. Like the security sign you may have in your front yard, this signage lets everyone know that you are serious about protecting information shared on your site. With the threats of malware and computer hacking constantly lurking in the shadows, few people are willing to visit and share credit card and other personal information on sites that appear vulnerable.

A Wise Decision

Many factors contribute to a website’s success. Regardless of the nature of your site, drawing traffic is key. Internet users are more likely to visit sites that are secure and easy to find. An SSL certificate enables your site to have both of these characteristics.

Web Design

3 Reasons to Hire a Professional Web Designer

3 Reasons to Hire a Professional Web Designer

Whether your website is for your business or a blog, you want your site to shine. You also want to know that your content will be seen by the right audience. Hiring a professional web designer will ensure that you have one of the best sites on the web.

  1. Increase Your Audience

It won’t matter how many hours of work you put into your website if your audience is unable to find your content. The perfectly designed website will help your audience find your site, and your designer is likely to know how best to reach different types of audiences. Viewers will also be more likely to spend time on your website if it’s easy to use, and you’re likely to see your audience grow.

  1. Save Time and Money

Trying to design your own website can be a hassle. Searching for software, looking up tutorials and struggling to make everything look just right can ultimately be a costly, time-consuming endeavor. However, the pursuit of a perfect website doesn’t have to cost so much. A professional web designer will ensure your site is completed in a timely manner without costing you a large sum of money.

  1. Customization Without the Stress

While it might be easy to create an idea of what you want your website to look like, actually creating your concept seamlessly online isn’t so simple. Your designer will help you flesh out your ideas to make your site just right. Hiring an experienced web designer will also guarantee that your site doesn’t appear too generic or bland. Overall, you and your audience will appreciate viewing your site with ease.

Hiring a professional web designer will allow your vision to come alive. Thanks to the right designer, you won’t have to worry about any mishaps and will be able to watch your personalized site grow.

Web Design

How a Website Redesign Can Impact SEO

How a Website Redesign Can Impact SEO

The world changes rapidly, and so does the web. That’s why it’s recommended that you redesign your website at least every couple of years. When embarking on a website redesign, it is easy to focus on the content. While this is important, it may be even more important to focus on the redesign’s effect on SEO, or search engine optimization, which is key to maintaining and increasing traffic.

Don’t Lose What You’ve Got

If your site is already generating business, you have a lot riding on this redesign. You don’t want to go backward and experience a wipe-out of all your SEO. You don’t want to have to rebuild from scratch.

There are many ways a redesign can affect SEO. Here are some tips to avoid problems:

  • Permanently redirect migrating content. Moving content from old to new pages during a website redesign can lead to dead ends for users. It’s important to permanently redirect this content from old to new pages to avoid user error messages on search engines.
  • Generously provide for mobile usage. Don’t assume that desktop users are your main client base. Your customers, like the rest of the world, are on the go and will be more receptive to your message if it can be delivered in multiple formats.
  • Be very careful about removing content from your site. Taking away previously-ranked content can wreak havoc on your rankings, thus causing your traffic to dip. Therefore, it is smarter to simply leave the content as it is, or at most, rework the material rather than deleting it altogether.
  • Understand the structure of your site. You can do an SEO crawl to gain this information and then as you redesign, you can match the structures of the two accordingly.

Working Smart for a New Look

Keeping in mind all the hard work you put into the initial design of your site, you can focus on making it better without losing the traction you’ve gained already. A good website redesign can invigorate your business if you do it in a smart, SEO-friendly way.

Web Design

The Importance of Professional Website Developers

The Importance of Professional Website Developers

Professional website design is a must-have for any successful business. Currently, the website designer is becoming more highly sought-after than ever. Although many companies use blog services for their websites, these generic websites are built off of similar templates. For the best in web development, a professional website designer can construct you a site that matches best what our human brains want to see and connect with.

Website designers aim to help businesses solve problems in the real world. Whether these problems are in marketing or in traditional sales, web sites need to be built to address them. Professional websites identify an issue and then use the Internet’s power to solve whatever issue arises. Most pre-packaged websites adhere to the grid system, which is not an effective means of boosting sales, expanding business or increasing marketing. Here are some key strategies that web site designers can offer your small business:

Branded Messages

Most small business owners have no idea what their marketing message is. They rarely have marketing departments and even more rarely have the time available to come up with the branding they want for their company. Professional website development can brainstorm and talk over this strategy with the client and can help the business owner express what differentiates their business from their opponents. Understanding how words influence a company’s brand is an essential part of building its website.

Search Engine Optimization

Keyword discovery and site mapping are key processes for SEO that web designers can assist business owners with. This phase consists of looking at available content, the competition’s websites, exploring the existing data and keyword tools. Afterward, a web developer discusses strategy with the small business owner, mapping the appropriate business phrases and adapting it to content. In generic website can’t provide businesses with optimal search engine terms, like designers can.

Website Personas

A vital aspect of website development is creating user personas online. This can greatly increase traffic flows on your site, because it offers users a specific focus to attend to when they visit. It also allows them to create an emotional response, which helps build a connection with the content the website offers. Generic blogs can’t make a user feel “at home” or a “sense of belonging” like allowing unique user personas and the community they foster.

Design Makes Business Owners’ Lives Easy

Marketers and business owners are busy enough and it’s the job of professional website designers to explain and walk them though the process in an efficient and natural manner. When it comes to web development, a web designer is the way to go.

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