How to Incorporate Web Design Into Your Marketing Strategy

How Web Design Helps Your Business - Sonoma County Web Design

There’s no question about it, web design is vital to the success of your digital marketing strategy. As a small business owner, design is probably not the reason you went into business. That doesn’t mean you can get away with an ugly, directionless website these days though.

When you work with a web designer, you can get the best of both worlds. You can have confidence you brand’s vision is being communicated well, plus you don’t have to get your hands dirty in design. With eCommerce leading our shopping experiences and everyone deferring to Google to find answers to their problems, excellent web design can set you apart from your competition.

Whether you choose to roll up your sleeves and tackle your website on your own, or you hire a web designer to take the weight of your shoulders, use these tips to make sure you’re web design is on the right track.

Strategize the First Impression

Users are bombarded by content all day long, so if your web design is subpar, your chance to convert that user is probably squashed. Work with a web designer to strategize first impressions from all directions. This is important because users won’t always go straight to the home page. Sometimes they will experience your brand for the first time on a blog post, landing page, free downloadable, or social media post. All these are web design opportunities that can leave a lasting impression.

Design the User’s Path Through The Site

Great web design involves mapping out your website so users have a primary pathway through the site. This pathway can change based on marketing goals, or you could have users self-categorize (men’s apparel or women’s apparel) so you have more opportunities to create a more personal digital experience.

A “path” simply means the way users move through the site. Users may start on the home page, a blog, or a landing page, and from there it should be clear where they should click next. The end of the path usually leads to a call to action (download, shop, call, etc.).

Be Consistent

Consistency is arguably the most important component in web design. Why? Because it leads to brand recognition. When you consistently use the same color palette, themes, shapes, and overall feel in your web design, your audience understands what to expect and can start to develop a relationship to it. The goal is to get your audience to identify with the brand, but if the web design is always changing, users don’t know how to engage with it.

Hire a Professional Web Designer

A great web designer can single-handedly increase revenue for a small business. That’s how important web design is for the customer experience. Web designers help you interpret and communicate your brand vision in a way that is attractive to potential customers. You can partner with your web designer to identify the key marketing goals for a given period, and then create fresh solutions for attracting customers based on these goals.

Having a professional web designer on your side can do wonders for your business. At K2 Sonoma County web design, we have helped small businesses increase their revenue and establish brand recognition through consistent, high-quality web design. I you’re looking for better results with your online marketing, contact K2 Sonoma County web design to see how we can help you this year.

The Sleekest Web Design Trends of 2019 - K2 Santa Rosa Web Design

A new year means fresh web design trends to drool over. Here at K2 Santa Rosa Web Design, we’re excited to experiment with new trends this year. We are always aiming to improve our web design and SEO skills so we can offer you the best possible services available for Santa Rosa web design.

Check out these web design trends you’re bound to see everywhere in 2019.

Micro-Interactions

The purpose of micro-interactions is to delight the user and connect with them in a human way. You may have experienced this with any small actions you take on a website: refreshing the page, hovering over an image, or even seeing the notification number on your social media. These all count as micro-interactions.

Glitch Graphics
We have an interesting relationship with technology right now. We don’t know what we would do without it, but we also don’t want it to take over. This relationship is most symbolically represented in glitch graphics -- or design that illustrates static, flashes of light, and other inconsistencies that tell us when something is wrong with our tech.

Black-and-White Palettes

Color plays a huge role in the way we see the world, both biologically and emotionally. For a website, color helps to determine the look and feel of a brand, so when we remove color, we are forced to look at the images and shapes in a new way.

Black-and-white web design palettes ask the viewer to slow down and soak in the visuals. White represents clean and orderly while black represents assertiveness and strength. Together they create a balance that is timelessly beautiful.

This doesn’t mean web designers can’t use color. Choose one accent brand color that pairs well with black and white to provide more dimension and sophistication.

Natural and Organic Design Inspiration

Web design has come a long way since its sharp, grid-like beginnings. As the digital sphere continues to become a natural “place” for people to hang out, there are more natural, soft, and rounded design elements trending. Web designers are choosing shapes that demonstrate comfort, leisure, and approach ability.

Interestingly enough, web designers are taking inspiration from nature: asymmetrical lines and soft palettes that remind us of plants, trees, clouds, and petals.

More Video

Google has recently made some changes to their search engine results algorithms (surprise, surprise). This time, they have mixed the search results to include more video. This is an inadvertent recommendation for businesses to produce more video content so they are more easily found on Google. That’s right, video content is now necessary for your SEO strategy and rankings.

In addition to the SEO benefits, video content also adds diversity and energy to your web pages.

Serifs Have Made It To The Screen - It has always been the “rule” that serifs were used in print, while sans-serifs were used on screen. Of course, great designers break the rules after following them for too long, meaning the serif rule is no longer gold-standard.

While sans-serif fonts will continue to dominate for long form body copy, serif fonts are taking over in headlines, call outs and calls to action. This is because serif fonts are decorative by design, so they stand out more than sans-serif fonts.

Mobile-Friendly Navigation

More and more people perform all their web browsing on a mobile device, so it is crucial that businesses call on web designers to make sure their website is mobile-friendly. This includes that ability for people to navigate through the mobile version of your site easily with their thumb. Pay attention to navigation bars, video content, and pages with lots of text.

Update Your Website With K2 Santa Rosa Web Design

Your website is your digital home, so why not make it beautiful this year? Contact K2 Santa Rosa Website Design to improve the look and feel of your website. We can also update the back end with fresh SEO as well.

 

7 SEO Trends To Look Out For in 2019

A new year means new content for your small business! But with so much ground to cover, where do you start? Our Santa Rosa SEO specialists and web designers at K2 start with the SEO strategy. It’s important to update your SEO strategy at least once a year to keep up with the always-changing algorithms Google uses to keep us on our toes.


As you prepare your digital marketing and content strategies for the new year, use the latest SEO trends to grow your business through digital marketing.

1.Page Speed - Google’s number one priority is to deliver the most relevant, user-friendly content as quickly as possible. While desktop page speed has been an important SEO trend for a while, mobile device page speed has quickly become equally important. Google has introduced a new speed metric, so it is to your benefit to optimize your website (improve your optimization score) to improve your page speed.

2.GDPR - The General Data Protection Regulation passed in the European Union is a relatively new rule that blew up your inbox earlier this year. The GDPR regulates who owns the data you provide online. Because of GDPR, users now own their data and can always ask corporations to see what data they have of them. While this is particularly important for businesses in the EU or do business in the EU, Google has adjusted its analytics with respect to GDPR. User’s data is now deleted after 26 days, and businesses can delete an individual’s personal data upon request. The little pop up that appears on websites asking you to accept cookies (data collection) is now a mark of credibility.

3.Hyperlocal Search - Most people search for locations through their mobile devices now. As a small business, attracting local customers is a top priority for you. Hyperlocal search marketing allows you to be more precise with your targeting and rank higher for “near me” searches. Proximity is a big factor for consumers when choosing brands. For local companies it could even mean losing prospective customers to a corporation simply because they are closer and have better SEO.

4.Mobile-First Indexing - Google now uses your mobile version of your page for indexing and ranking. Back in March, Google started migrating sites to this mobile-first index. This basically means Google will be prioritizing mobile when ranking websites.

5.Voice Search and Home Assistants - Half of global searches will be conducted through voice and home devices by 2020. That means your SEO keywords need to be compatible with this technology. Aim to use keywords that are between 7 and 9 words and include language that people use in regular conversation.

6.Use Your Brand as a Ranking Signal - Google now uses online brand mentions as a ranking signal. Google crawls for unlinked brand mentions to determine whether your brand is an entity. Then, it looks at the context of the brand mentions to see the quality of the mentions and to determine your brand’s value.

7.Amazon Search - Now more than ever, people head straight to Amazon to search for products. While Amazon is not a full search engine, it has quickly become the Google of e-commerce. In fact, according to a study, 56% of people defer to Amazon if they are considering shopping. As a retailer, it will be important to be selling on Amazon in 2019.


Need Help With Your SEO?

Optimize your website and see major growth in 2019 with help from K2 Santa Rosa SEO specialists. Our team can work with you to design, strategize and execute a better digital web presence so you can grow your business online.

4 Web Design Hacks to Increase Web Conversions

You can make all the design edits in the world, but if they’re not the right design edits, it really doesn’t matter. What do we mean by right? If your web design isn’t converting, then something isn’t right.

If you’re looking to design a website, campaign or digital element that converts, design with the customer’s motivations and preferences in mind. Start by using these quick design hacks for more web design conversion.


1.The Law of Pithiness
This is one of Gestalt’s guiding principles. It states that we tend to organize our experiences in symmetrical, simple ways. We like things to be clean, neat, and orderly (despite how we keep our cars and desks). Clutter creates overwhelm, so you want to avoid that at all costs.

The most common web design hack that follows the Law of Pithiness is the use of white space. White space makes people’s eyes happy, use it whenever possible.


2. The Law of Past Experience
The Law of Past Experience (concept of mental models) states that our past experiences have a huge effect on how we interpret our present experiences.

So how do we apply that to web design?

Customers past experiences are extremely personal, and we can’t help but bring those experiences into our current experiences – stay with us – web designers can use this familiarity to decrease barriers to purchase.

For example, people are used to the “Add to Cart” button sitting at the top right-hand corner of the website. Keep it there.


3. Familiar Faces
People are more likely to buy if you have familiar faces on your website. It’s a sign of trust and community. This has proved true in political campaigns and pizzerias alike. Human faces attract attention and convey emotion, both of which are huge assets in marketing. Use human faces in your web design whenever it’s appropriate.


4. Cost/Benefit Analysis
How much are you willing to pay for an online course? It depends on two factors:

·      Is it easy to acquire it?
·      Will it be worth your time/money?

If all you have to do is enter your email, then you will do it in seconds. But if you have to fill out a survey and pay $15, then that yes turns to a no or, best case scenario, “I’ll do it later”. This is the rule of Cost/Benefit Analysis. A customer will “pay” for the product or service if the benefit appears to equal or even outweigh the cost.

Design the Calls to Action and other web design elements to accentuate the benefit and increase the attractiveness of the cost. This also requires good copy writing, so have one of those professionals in your back pocket.


Looking for help with your web design? We’ve only scratched the surface here. Call our super brilliant and incredibly good-looking design-hacking Sonoma County Web Designers at K2 for a free quote.

How To Make Your Site User Friendly

A website is only as good as its ability to convert -- otherwise, why be online in the first place? Websites with excellent conversion rates have one key characteristic in common: they are user-friendly. But what does “user-friendly” mean, exactly, and how do you make a site as user-friendly as possible? These are the questions that boggle the minds of thousands of business owners.

Fret no longer, busy business owner, we’re here to chat user-friendly websites. If you’re a business owner looking to improve the functionality of your website, then buckle up because we’re about to run through the basics of user-friendly web design at lightning speed.

What Does User Friendly Mean
A user-friendly website is intuitive, responsive and personalized. Web designers have hundreds of tricks up their sleeve to improve the user-friendliness of a website. While not all tactics may be necessary for your website, your web designer will be able to identify what methods make sense for your industry, your budget, and most importantly, the preferences and needs of your target audience. The whole purpose of user-friendly web design is to keep the user in mind every step of the way. If you’re ever in doubt about a web design element, sak, “will this be attractive and easy to navigate as a customer?”. That question alone will change the way you view your website.

The Key Principles of User-Friendly Web Design
Whether you’re building your own site on Wix or you plan to hire a web designer to build a custom Wordpress site, there are a few standard user-friendly web design methods to include in your website.

1) Keep Things Simple - Remember those websites from the 90s where the homepage looked like a full phone book's worth of information on it (also, remember phone books?). That’s the exact opposite of user-friendly web design. You want to give the user’s eyes plenty of breathing room so they don’t feel overwhelmed. When a customer is overwhelmed with visual stimulation then they definitely won’t want to hear anything more you have to say.

2) Be Fast And Furious - Your website should be FAST.  We don’t have to tell you how small our human attention span is, and nobody has patience for a slow-loading page. HIre a web developer to make sure your website’s backend is clean and up to date so you don’t lose customers because your homepage moves slower than rush hour on the I-5. 

3) Put Your Logo Front And Center -  OK, your logo doesn’t literally have to be in the center of the web page, but it should absolutely be easy to spot on every page of your website. Your logo, as well as other definable brand elements, should always be present so the viewers knows exactly what they are looking at. 

4) Be Brief, Clear And Genuine - No one wants to be confronted by a wall of text online, and your website is not the exception. Use your SEO strategy to write clear, engaging copy that gets to the point in a way your target audience will resonate with. Remember that your target audience is 100% human, so talk to them through your brand voice in that way. Think more “friendly email” than “academic paper”. The idea is to connect with your visitors as quickly as possible. That calls for brevity, clarity, and genuineness. 

5) Tell Them What To Do - You could tell the most beautiful, elaborate story about your product, but if there is no clear call to action on the web page, your visitors will not act. Craft engaging calls to action that jive with your brand messaging. 

6) Make Content Shareable - Your website content should be easily shareable for social media platforms. Display social media icons in the footer or sidebar of each page, make sure your images and media are pinnable, and highlight excerpts of your text with prompts like, “Tweet This.” Your website visitors are a primary vehicle for getting the word out about your brand, and a little prompting goes a long way. 

7) Include A Mobile Friendly Version - Most people browse the internet on their phone at least once a day. As a web surfer yourself, you’ve probably noticed the mobile version of a website is a bit different than the desktop version. This is because your web designer has coded certain elements to minimize or even disappear in response to the smaller screen. Make sure your website is responsive to mobile devices and tablets. This is something your web designer can easily do as they build your desktop site. 


Make Your Website User-Friendly
Are you ready to generate more leads and please your web visitors with stellar, responsive and user-friendly design? Contact our wildly capable group of designers at k2 Sonoma County Web Design for your free quote.

5 Signs Your Website Is Outdated

The digital space is evolving on a daily basis. What was once new and exciting is now old and outdated. When it comes to your business, you always want to come off as relevant and technologically savvy. The way your website operates can give a major impression on potential customers, and you want that impression to be a good one.

If you’ve had your website for a few years now and haven’t made any real updates, look for these signs that your website may be outdated.

1) Your Content Is All Over the Place - People have reached a point in their digital experience where they expect websites to look a certain way. They expect the “shop” button and logo to be on either side of the top left or right corner. They expect clear and engaging content to greet them to the site and explain what you offer them. Your website content should be broken up into small, distinct sections. If your web visitors are greeted by a wall of text with no guidance as to where they should begin, they will be out of there quicker than a sorority girl who stumbled into a biker bar.

2) The Dates On Your Site Are Over One Year Old - If you still have a flyer up from an event your company held over a year ago, your website is outdated. People come to your website to find relevant information and answers to their problems. If you have outdated information, including dates, events, bios, and specials, then visitors will have no reason to trust your credibility. You could be a family-run company that’s been open for 100 years, but if your potential customers haven’t heard of you and their first impression is outdated information, they’re not buying.

3) Your Website Looks Like a Rainbow - Color is a fantastic tool for attracting visitors to the content you want them to see. However, if you have 4 or 5 colors competing for the visitor’s eye, you will lose them. Aim to use no more than 2-3 colors on a webpage. This will make your website more attractive and much easier to look at for long periods of time (which is the goal!). Ideally you will want to have one main color that ties all the other colors together. Consider these your brand colors, you will likely have them in your logo and other brand materials.

4) You Have Broken Files, Images and Links - Is there anything more annoying than following a link to what you think will be valuable information only to find that it’s broken? Imagine what your website visitors think. Broken links, plugins and images give a terrible impression of your website, and most of the time that broken link represents your one chance to make an impression with new visitors. Hire a web developer to consistently maintain the backend of your website so you never have people bouncing off your site due to broken content.

5) There’s Clip Art and Animations On Your Site - While there is certainly room for gifs, memes, graphics, videos and movie clips, pixelated animations (like Tamagotchi, remember those?) will definitely show your website’s age. Honestly, there’s no need to use these anymore. People expect high res, life-like imagery on websites, so if you’re brand relies on animation and graphics to get the brand feel across, hire a web designer to create updated versions of your old animations.

Ready For Some Updates?
If you’re finding outdated content all over your site and don’t know how to fix it, call our Santa Rosa Wordpress Web Development team to take care of the bugs for you. We’re a full service Wordpress web development and SEO team that can whip your website back into tip top shape. Let’s do this.

What is Domain Authority And Do You Need It

What is Domain Authority, Anyway?

What is the Domain Authority of your website?

If your eyebrow shot up in questioning, then no worries. You’re right where you’re supposed to be. Domain Authority is an essential website metric that business owners can easily overlook. This week we’re going to break down Domain Authority and how to apply it to your website.

Domain Authority is one of the most important SEO metrics in determining the overall authority, or power, of your website. The basic Domain Authority (DA) metric can be measured using three key factors: Age, Popularity, and Size. Although, the creators of DA, Moz, calculate DA by considering dozens of other metrics, including number of total links and linking root domains.

DA works as a logarithmic scale from one to 100. The scale predicts how well your website will ranks on Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs). When a website has a higher score, it is more likely to be predicted to rank.

Technically, Domain Authority is calculated using a machine learning model to predict the best fit algorithm that correlates the DA calculation program’s link data with thousands of real search results. These real search results are used as the standard that the machine learning model bases its scale on.

How To Use Domain Authority

This DA score can be used to compare the site to other sites. It’s important to understand the DA score is a prediction of how well your site will rank, not how your site is ranking currently. So there shouldn’t be any pressure to have an insanely high DA score. Instead, a DA score should be used as a comparative metric--meaning you should compare your DA score to the scores of your direct competitors. Look at the DA scores of competitor sites, then use SEO strategies to ensure your DA score is always higher than your competitors.

Where To Find Domain Authority

The DA metric can be founding using SEO tools like Moz’s free tools at MozBar. You can also request that your SEO professionals add this metric to your monthly reports.

Domain Authority is NOT Page Authority

Domain authority predicts the ranking of your domains. Page authority ranks the strength of pages on your website. These are very different metrics.

How to Increase/Manipulate Domain Authority

The machine learning software makes it extremely difficult to influence your domain authority directly. The best way to influence your DA score for the better is to improve your overall SEO and link. DA scores will rank better in your favor if you specifically work on increasing the amount of links from other higher ranking and well-linked pages around the web.

Need assistance boosting your SEO? Call our Sonoma County SEO experts to see how we can help improve your overall SEO metrics, attract more customers, and produce more relevant content for your current customers.