December 31, 2016

Forbes – 7 SEO Trends That Will Dominate 2017

Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Website Content, Website Design Practices

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a game that’s all about staying one step ahead of your opponents.

One of the best ways to accomplish this competitive dominance is to be aware of how search engines are changing, and adjust your content and SEO strategy before your competitors have a chance to catch up. The SEO industry is always moving, so it pays to be aware of these evolutions.

It looks like 2017 will be an interesting year for SEO, with the following trends dominating the arena:

1. The Rise of Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMPs).

2. The Rise of “Dense” Content.

3. Machine Learning Will Change the Way the Algorithm Works.

4. Personal Branding Will Become an SEO Secret Weapon.

5. User Experience Optimization (UEO) Will Start to Blur the Lines with SEO.

6. Apps Will Feel the Love.

7. Personal Digital Assistants will Become More Sophisticated, Changing the Way Many of us Perform Search Queries.

December 6, 2016

by TWP Publisher

7 Suggestions for Better Mobile-Friendly Web Design

Website Content, Website Design Practices Web Design

Recently, Google made a statement that the volume of search queries on mobile devices has now surpassed desktop. This along with their most recent algorithm updates means that much more value is being given to well-designed mobile websites. Desktop sites failing to conform to the standard are likely to witness a marked decline in SEO rankings and traffic.

So what does this mean for mobile web designers & marketers?

Well for starters, if you haven’t created a mobile website or introduced responsive features into your existing one, you are likely missing out on valuable SERPs rankings and traffic since the majority of your users will likely be visiting on their phones.

Here are 7 suggestions you need to know to update your website to modern mobile standards.

1. Understand usability
Usability is arguably the most important aspect of a mobile website, after all; would you buy an unsteerable car? The same point can be made for your website, your users don’t want to visit a site they can’t use.

You should start off by viewing your current website on your mobile. If you have to pinch in and zoom around to read everything, and it takes several attempts to navigate to a new page, you’ve gotten a clear view of the mobile experience you are offering your users.

2. A responsive website isn’t always the best answer
Depending on your current website, you may want to consider developing a responsive theme that adapts to your users’ browser or device resolution. However, sometimes this isn’t achievable and you may want to opt for a dedicated mobile website instead.

Building a separate mobile site has its benefits, for example they are often easier to develop than integrating responsiveness into your existing site and costs can often be significantly less (especially when using a third-party mobile website builder), however a separate mobile page means you will have to maintain 2 different code bases and upload content to both.

Whichever route you decide to go down, research is needed to ensure which option is more suited to your marketing and business model in the long run.

November 28, 2016

by TWP Publisher

5 Ways Web Designers Can Create Amazing Websites

Website Content, Website Design Practices Web Design

All masters in their domain have secrets they might not be willing to reveal, but their products and practices can speak for themselves and offer clues to achieving greatness. Web designing is such a field. It demands creativity, attention to detail, and practice. Understand what the best web designers do and you can become a master yourself. Here are 5 ways to amp up your web design skills and create powerful websites:

Avoid slideshows and carousels

Slideshows and carousels are suitable only if you are seeking to feature a lot of information on a single page. Remember though, many of your visitors might not stay on your website long enough to absorb all the information in a slideshow or carousel. Given visitors’ short attention spans, it’s typically better to offer a concise value proposition, especially on your home page, and avoid slideshows carousels. When you are seeking the attention of someone, it is important to deliver content that’s meaningful and remove anything not relevant.

Simplify the navigation through your design

A complex website might seem appealing at first, but it will not be very welcoming for a random visitor. Infusing too many options can be counterproductive. Simplifying the visitor’s experience is recommended so a visitor won’t lose time in an attempt to find the information they need the most.

Do not crowd your header or sidebar. Remove as many links as possible. Dropdown menus might adversely affect the aesthetics of your design and the user experience and can be difficult to use on mobile devices – consider eliminating them

Use a sketchbook!

This old-school hack is a must for designers. When ideas come or you feel like organizing a concept, grab your book and sketch it out as the inspiration flows. Tablets can also help you in drawing your design thoughts, but the feeling of sketching out a design on the paper is irreplaceable. This method can assist you during brainstorming and help organize your design process better.

June 3, 2016

by TotalWeb Partners

Forbes – 9 Web Design Trends To Watch In 2016

Content Marketing, Website Content, Website Design Practices

If there’s one thing that’s true about design, it’s that it is always evolving. Design is dynamic, and must adjust to accommodate both form and function. Because of this ever-changing nature, it can be a challenge to keep up with the newest design trends.

Duotones, Split Screens, Hero Images and Other Web Design Trends to Watch in 2016

User experience is the central focus of the most relevant design trends. Creating content that’s responsive, accessible, and simple to use, enhances user satisfaction. This year’s emerging design trends aim to streamline and perfect that user experience.

Hero Images
Material Design
Typography
Background Videos and Animations
Hover Animations
Scrolling
Motion Animations
Full Screen Forms
Duotone Color Schemes

New Web trends: Immersive Interaction Design

Website Content Web trends, Website design

The wheel of progress is changing what we think of as “new” or “old,” and users can easily scorn the sites and apps they loved only a few months ago. But for every door that technology closes, a new one is opened. The Good News… Since inception TotalWeb Partners has building the immersive interaction designs into all sites we build.

Below we’ve collected some of the modern IxD techniques that users are flocking to. Some are genuinely new, while others are just new takes on old ideas. Either way, they’ll help you stay ahead of the curve…and the crushing wheel of progress.

1. Animation & Transitions
When it comes to interaction design, one of the most popular concepts is animation and animated effects. Animation can include anything from a cool hover state effect to a full-screen cartoon that plays in the background.

Animations may not be new to interaction design, but their popularity is really only possible thanks to developments in HTML5, Javascript, and CSS. While they were once considered an aesthetic luxury (“Wow, the icon bounces!”) during the age of Flash, they are now becoming a functional necessity (“Ugh, the icon doesn’t do anything except bounce?!”).

April 20, 2015

by TotalWeb Partners

Why Website Optimization is Out and Website Marketability is in

Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Website Content, Website Design Practices SEO, Web Marketing

Why website optimization is out and website marketability is in.

Read how Crain’s Detroit Business lays out Website Marketability, explains SEO, and defines the value of a website as being related to it’s structure, content, and evolution.

Of all articles in our blog, this is the most important to us as it explains how internet marketing works in 2015, noting that this precisely matches TotalWeb Partner’s value proposition.

“Building a site is not an end game, it is just the first step… and all of TWP’s standard offers include ongoing support, updating, and marketing to meet the requirements of marketing on-line in 2015.”

Defining Website Marketability

From Crain’s Detroit Business April 17, 2015

March 23, 2015

by TotalWeb Partners

4 Features Every Local Business Website Design Needs

Marketing, Website Content, Website Design Practices Local Website Design

4 Features Every Local Business Website Design Needs.

No business can afford to waste money on tools that don’t work. Local businesses must be particularly discerning when deciding where to distribute the yearly budget.

A useful litmus test for local business website design is whether the website will pay for itself over time. Good design is not decoration.

Your company website should look great and make a winning first impression for your business… but looking “great” can’t be the only goal.

A cost-efficient local business website serves rather like an “employee” for your company, that helps:

How Old VHS Tapes Helped Save Early Web Design

Website Content, Website Design Practices Design Practices

How Old VHS Tapes Helped Save Early Web Design

Conventional wisdom has it that anything published online can never be truly erased. People petition governments for the “right to be forgotten”—to have personal information and images permanently removed from the Internet. But look for a screenshot or image from a page of the very early web, and you’ll find it almost impossible to locate. Prominent technologist Andy Baio, who runs the site Waxy.org, where he promotes tech ephemera and news, has discovered an unlikely portal to an era that has all but disappeared from today’s Internet, and quite nearly from the human record: VHS tapes. With these tapes, now viewable on YouTube, comes a critical look into a period that set the stage for the massive design and technological changes society has undergone over the past 20 years.

Watch the video…

January 27, 2015

by TotalWeb Partners

Why Authoritative Content Is More Important Than SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Website Content Authoritative Content, Search Engine Optimization, SEO, Unique Content

Why Authoritative Content Is More Important Than SEO.

It is a little-known secret that Google and other search engines are making a shift from traditional search engine optimization (SEO) to a focus on quality and authoritative content. While it is still important to optimize your meta data and remain on top of relevant keywords, it can no longer be denied that when it comes to generating organic search results, quality content with a strong focus on authority is now leading the pack.

January 23, 2015

by TotalWeb Partners

The Growing Importance of Mobile Web Design

Mobile, Website Content, Website Design Practices Mobile, Web Design

The Growing Importance of Mobile Web Design.
Google algorithm alert! If your business doesn’t have a mobile website you’d better set one up quick. This is a quite a game-changer.

Google announced yesterday (19 November 2014) that it would introduce ‘mobile friendly’ labels on search results to indicate which links are best optimized for smartphones and tablets.

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