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Why Hire A Copywriter? 6 Reasons Copywriting Is Important For Your Business

As a business owner, it's tempting to think that you can do it all. You formulated and built your business from the ground up and it's doing well -- why shouldn't you also be the one to write all the materials your business needs to interact with customers?

Well, for one, you're probably not doing it well. It can be hard to let go of a part of your business that seems so integral to finding and maintaining a strong customer base. So let us show you why hiring a freelance copywriter to craft your written content is a great investment and why you shouldn't be spending your time on copywriting.

Why hire a copywriter?

A professional copywriter is just that: a professional. Contrary to what many think, copywriting is not a skill that you can pick up and put down just when you need it. Good freelance copywriters have spent years honing their craft. They know what kind of content is needed in specific situations and how to craft content that not only gets your information across but also resonates with your audience.

Ask yourself. If you have a large plumbing job in your home, are you going to shrug and start attacking it yourself or are you going to hire a professional who can get better results in a shorter time?

Top 6 Reasons to Never Write Copy Again

1. You free up time for an extra cup (or three) of coffee and all the other important things on your to-do list.

Be honest. How much time do you currently spend writing content for your business? By hiring a professional writer, you get all of that time back to spend with a client or on other tasks you'd rather be doing.

Remember, you need to be creating consistent, engaging content on a regular basis in order to keep a stream of prospective clients and customers coming to your digital front door. A professional writer or freelance copywriter can create this kind of content in a fraction of the time it will take you.

hiring copywriting

2. You won't have to worry about writing over your customers' heads.

You know your business better than anyone else out there but that doesn't make you the best person to tell the world about your business.

Stay with me for a minute.

You are responsible for the daily operations of your business. You know it in, out, and backward. However, being an expert in your field does not mean you are an expert at marketing your services and expertise.

What can happen when a business owner writes the content for their business is that the content starts to focus on JUST telling the business's story. It's business-focused content.

What a new client needs when they hit your website is content that's customer-focused. They need content that talks to THEM about THEIR needs. Copywriting that speaks to this is much more likely to sell your products and services.


Related Reading: How to Write Calls to Action that Really Work


3. Online grammar checkers aren't infallible.

If grammar, spelling, and punctuation aren't in your skillset, don't fret. The proliferation of lists cataloging these kinds of mistakes on professional websites shows that you are definitely not the only one out there.

However, your potential customers, not to mention Google, will judge your business unfairly if there are more than a few of these mistakes in your content. It makes you look unprofessional and does not instill a sense of confidence in your audience.

4. No matter what you think, your business isn't very exciting to the general public.

An experienced copywriter can make anything sound exciting. And I mean anything. Have you ever wondered how house painters, roofers, HVAC repair companies, or soap companies can keep up a stream of regular content that ranks well? Two words: quality content.

A freelance writer will not only familiarize themselves with your business and field, but they will also find ways to engage potential clients with interesting and relevant content that speaks directly to your target market, building your reputation and driving sales.


Related Reading: One Easy Way to Convert Visitors Into Customers


5. You don't know the difference between an email, a blog post, and a social media post, and you don't really care.

How many types of content does your business need to be successful? A product description? A blog post? Sales funnels full of content? Social media content? A white paper from an expert?

You may be great at creating one of these kinds of content but how are you at all of them? Copywriters understand the importance of variety and have the copywriting skill to create anything you need. A well-rounded, strong writer will be able to create everything you need, saving you time and money.

6. Your newest product launch or marketing campaign is already causing you to sweat.

Copywriting is sometimes the last thing that comes to mind when you're getting ready to launch a new product or service. You've spent a lot of time creating and honing this new offering and maybe left the marketing of it until the last minute.

Or maybe you've decided to invest in Facebook ads or a Google AdWords campaign and want valuable content you know will be powerful to make the investment worth it.

Whatever your situation, sometimes you just need professional copy. Investing in copywriting services can make the difference between success and failure.

Final Word

Copywriting is one of the nine (9) key areas we focus on in our Blueprint for Online Excellence. When visitors land on your website or your social media channels, the words they see must capture their attention and not let it go. Capturing their attention once they are on your online property is the first step to completing a sale or earning a new customer and that's where professional copywriting services come in.

So I have to ask: Does the copy on your website inspire your potential customers to stick around and get to know you better or does it have them heading for the exits? If your answered the latter, contact Thrive Design today.

Whether you are launching a new product, a new brand, or just taking your brick-and-mortar store online, an online store is a critical part of your digital success. eCommerce website design can incorporate many different features, take place on many different platforms, and may involve switching web hosts. All of this can make it difficult to budget for creating your very own eCommerce store.

So how much does an eCommerce website cost?

5 Elements that Impact Cost of eCommerce Website

5 Elements that Impact Cost of eCommerce Website

(Before we dive in, all of the prices shown here are just estimates based on the current market. Your needs, project scope, and specific project details will determine your final cost.)

eCommerce Platform

What platform you choose.

eCommerce website platforms and content management systems range from the simplest plug-and-play Shopify eCommerce store to the incredibly customizable Magneto and Magneto Enterprise. (These latter two are not user-friendly for business owners who lack technical expertise and will need a third party to get set up.)

What eCommerce platform you choose has a big impact on your initial setup costs. Each platform comes with different licensing fees and costs. If you decide to get help setting up your store, at a minimum, you are likely to spend $5,000 on store setup, training, and configurations.


Featured Reading: 14 essential eCommerce website design features


Design Choices

What design choices you make.

Your eCommerce web design choices will also impact your upfront cost. Themes can cost anywhere from $0 to $250 and then you can expect to spend another $1,000 to $2,000 making minor changes and customizations. (Think customizations bigger than logo changes within the theme but smaller than a full custom design.) There may also be a monthly cost for the use of the eCommerce software. Generally, your theme will not have a monthly cost.

If you are looking for custom features or a full custom design with more functionality, costs can escalate quickly. Whether you need more advanced features or a custom theme, you can expect costs to start around $10,000 and go all the way up to $100,000 depending on the specifics, requirements, and depth of the development process.

eCommerce Custom Programming

If you need custom programming or functionality.

Additional features can be added through modules or extensions that you can add to your eCommerce store, just as you would your WordPress website. Using out-of-the-box products such as these can keep your costs down if you need additional or advanced features that your base theme doesn't accommodate.

As with your site design, adding in custom programming or custom development will get very expensive very fast because you'll want to go with a well-established eCommerce agency to develop custom code for your site. If you throw in custom code from your brother's friend who dabbles in web design, you're more likely to end up with something that breaks with your first expansion which will lead to higher costs later on.

What web host you choose

What web host you choose.

We've said it before and it holds true here, too. The cheap option for your web host is never the right option no matter what product you are selling.

Sure. There are companies out there with web hosting plans with a monthly cost of $20/month or less but you will end up paying more than that with hidden costs and the poor website performance that usually accompanies these plans.

You will probably end up paying around $250/month as an ongoing cost for hosting before you will grow out of a typical SaaS solution. A custom eCommerce business solution will require more in-depth hosting that could start around $300/month. You will want to make sure that whatever host you choose can provide true credit card and payment option security to ensure you keep your customers' trust.


Featured Reading: How to Move Your Website to a New Host


How many pages you need

How many pages you need.

Typically, eCommerce sites will have a larger page volume than regular, lead-generating websites. That's because these sites have a much larger volume of content than regular websites.

Your product offerings will most likely determine the number of pages that your eCommerce website will need. Product images, product descriptions, product categories, payment pages, and any other content pages (important for search engine optimization) you need will all be taken into consideration when determining a site layout and number of pages.

It's important to remember that paying a higher upfront cost for more pages to ensure that your highlighting your products in a way that will make them sell will pay off in the long run. This is a one-time cost for pages that will bring in revenue for the life of your business.

Final Word

eCommerce website design is not a one-size-fits-all topic. Your company, your team, your product will all determine the kinds of cost estimates you get for building your site. If you need help with your eCommerce project, give us a call. The core feature your business needs is the ability to see your product online. At Thrive Design, we can help your team realize that dream, improve your conversion rate, and see your transactions grow.

The time has come to hire a web designer, or web design firm, and you have no idea where to start. Sure, regular interview questions can help you when it comes to whether a candidate will be a good fit, but you need to dig deeper into their web design knowledge.

Your website is the online face of your company so you want to make sure you hire someone that has a strong understanding of not only design fundamentals, but also basic web development concepts. You want to hire someone whose design aesthetic is similar to that of your company, or someone who is at least familiar designing with that aesthetic.

This guide will give you the ten questions you need to ask when you are looking to hire a web designer, or web design firm, for your next big project.

Top 10 web design questions for 2021 and beyond.

The questions we’ve compiled here go beyond the standard “why do you love web design” and “what were your responsibilities in your last job.” Those are great but they don’t really tell you anything about the individual or company beyond what you probably read on their website or resume.

In this list, we’re diving into the more meaty questions you should ask. These are the ones that you can use to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. They will help you really learn more about their experience, knowledge, and design philosophy; things that will help you really narrow down who you want to work more with.

Now, without further ado, here are the 10 questions you should be prepared to answer in web design interviews this year.

What project are you most proud of?

This allows your candidates their time to shine. You can tell a lot about a designer from their favorite projects or case studies. But be aware of projects that are outdated. If they are more proud of a website they designed in 2012, they should have a REALLY good reason why.

Giving them the opportunity to talk about a project in an open-ended fashion gives you the chance to see where their priorities lie.

Is their favorite project one that gave them creative free-reign? Is it one where they worked really well with a client? Is it one where they didn’t have to work with anyone else?

How a designer talks about work tells you as much about them as their work itself.

Tell us about your experience with HTML and CSS.

Good web designers have a deep knowledge of web design principles. Great web designers also have some knowledge, maybe even some experience, with web development principles.

Many web design jobs require designers to do both design and some development. When you’re interviewing for these jobs, it’s also good to ask more specific questions about things like H1 tags and the differences between HTML elements and tags to really dig into a designer’s knowledge.

It’s easy for candidates to fake a deeper level of knowledge or experience on their resumes or websites but, when the rubber meets the road, they need to demonstrate that they really are comfortable with these languages.


See related: What is Web Design vs Development?


A client emails you to tell you they hate your design. What do you do next?

This question will show you how a design candidate deals with two, fundamental aspects of working with clients like yourself: how they deal with feedback and their communication techniques. You should be looking for both of these elements in their answer.

A terrible answer would be one that refuses to broker any compromise with the client because the designer is the expert and they know best.

A great answer would demonstrate that they are not personally attached to their designs and they don’t take negative feedback personally. But it should also show that they can communicate WHY they made the design decisions they did.

Whoever you hire needs to be able to communicate the benefits of the design elements they include but also are open to finding alternative solutions that can fill the need but still make the client, you, happy.

What is the most exciting trend or the next big thing in web design?

Trust us. You do not need to have a specific trend or the next big thing in mind when you ask this question. This question isn’t about looking for the right answer. This question is about getting at how up-to-date the candidate is about design trends and innovations.

It’s important to find someone who has a strong opinion on this topic and can easily talk more in-depth about it. You’re looking for someone who has an informed opinion and doesn’t give a generic, non-answer answer.

This isn’t a question where an “Oh man. There are so many exciting developments I can’t choose just one. It’s a great time to be in the industry” answer will cut it. A better answer is "It's important to use wire-frames before development starts, and good use of lightboxes will really make a design stand out." A quick Google search on your end beforehand can show you whether their knowledge is up-to-date or not.

What would you do differently on our website?

Now don’t expect to get free, actionable knowledge with this question, especially if you are interviewing a firm you would like to hire. But any designer you are interviewing should at least have a passing knowledge of your site and where improvements could be made.

You also want to be sure you are hiring someone that is comfortable giving criticism. A web designer that’s not going to tell you what they think is wrong with your ideas or website isn’t going to be much help to you if you’re hiring them for their expertise.

Walk me through some of your recent projects.

A designer’s portfolio should showcase a wide variety of skills and they should be able to speak thoughtfully about each of their websites. Great designers should also be able to talk about the results of each of their projects.

How much did the client’s conversion rate go up after they redesigned their page? What was the impact of the new landing page they built for another client?

Look for well-rounded designers that are focused on results. Bonus if they are able to talk to the collaboration process they went through with each client on each project.

What are your pet peeves in web design?

Another industry knowledge question. Recognizing bad design is just as important as creating good design. It also will help you figure out if your design aesthetic fits in with theirs. While there are a number of elements that everyone recognizes as bad design (we’re looking at you flashing images and low-contrast backgrounds), there are some elements that are debatable, depending on your aesthetic.

For example, it’s ok to not like maximalist design but it’s important that they are able to back up their opinion with something more than “it looks cluttered.”

Maybe they’ve had clients who have had an increase in their retention and sales numbers after debuting a sleeker, more refined website. Maybe they’ve read studies that showed that website visitors prefer a more minimalist design.

Whatever it is, look for designers that can back up their pet peeves with results-oriented opinions.

Tell us about your experience with UX.

As the fields of web development, web design, user-interface design, and user-experience design get more and more intermingled, you need to find a designer comfortable discussing the common principles of the field even if they don’t have hands-on experience with them.

If you have a UX designer on staff or on contract, listen for how the designer talks about collaborating with UX designers. If you don’t have a UX designer in your back pocket, talk to the designer or design firm about their familiarity with the principles and how they incorporate them in their design.

What elements would you use in an optimized site?

Optimizing sites for SEO and responsiveness purposes is a key part of a web designer’s job. Make sure the designers you are interviewing are familiar with these processes and know-how to best design websites for optimization purposes.


Related reading: SEO Seattle


Where do you go for inspiration?

Answers to this question could go in two directions: atypical areas that they get design inspiration or specific web design blogs and industry experts they turn to for specific web design inspiration.

Where designers get their inspiration can say a lot about a designer and their process. Do they like to unplug and go on hikes to clear their mind and find inspiration in nature? Do they have favorite painters or designers they go back to time and again when they’re not feeling the creative juices? Who are their web design idols?

This can tell you more about their design aesthetic. Are they more artistic and talk more about artists and design or are they more web-oriented and talk about their influences in the web design world? Or are they a delightful mix of both?

Final word.

Hiring the right web designer can make or break your website project. You want to make sure you find a designer who shares your design aesthetic or, if they don’t, are prepared to work closely with you to ensure you are happy with the outcome.

An interview gives you a great opportunity to find someone who is not only a great fit but who has the experience and expertise that will help you achieve everything you want online.

Thrive Design is a customer-centric web design agency from SeattleContact us today to find out how we can elevate your business online! Find us on Clutch, UpCityLinkedInFacebook, and Twitter.

Category: Web design seattle

You rely on your website to generate business in some form or fashion. Depending on the type of website you have, that may be through generating new leads, raising your profile and perceived authority, or processing sales. If your website isn't accomplishing any of this, it's time to take a look at your business strategy and incorporate steps to optimize your site's conversion rates.

When you're looking to convert more of your visitors into customers, starting with your web design can give you some easy wins. If customers are turned off by your website design, that can have a significant impact on conversion. By focusing on website design, businesses can see lots of benefits from conversion, especially in the amount of business they get from visitors landing on their website.

How to ask for online reviews

What is 'conversion rate optimization' and why does it matter?

First off, let's take a second to define some key terms.

"Conversions" are when visitors take a desired action on your website, such as filling out a contact form, downloading a lead-generation PDF, or buying a product.

"Conversion rate" is a mathematical formula that can tell you the percentage of users that are taking a specific, desired action on your website. To calculate your website's conversion rate, divide the number of users that take the action you want to measure by the number of total website visitors.

"Conversion rate optimization" refers to the systematic practice of increasing the number of website visitors who take a specific, desired action on your website.

The more users that take an action on your website (that you want them to take), the more leads you'll find and the more business you will get. Converting visitors into customers is usually the number one reason our clients are looking for a new website. Focusing on improving your conversion rate is a great way to improve it without having to invest in a complete website redesign.

9 ways to use web design to improve your conversion rate optimization.

You don't have to be a conversion expert in order to improve your website's conversion rate, especially if you are only looking to move the needle a little bit. (We would definitely recommend talking to us, however, if your conversion rate is significantly lower than you want or need it to be.)

You can find success with a conversion rate optimization process that just focuses on small tweaks you can make to elements of your web design.

What is padding

1. Use negative space wisely.

Negative space is the white space on your website. Increasing the padding around elements and increasing the margins of your page will give each element its own breathing space and allows visitors to take each element in before moving on to the next. Websites without a lot of negative space risk overwhelming their visitors which will cause them to click away faster.

2. Use specific calls to action.

Visitors to your website don't know what you want them to do once they get there. Writing specific, clear, and concise calls-to-action (CTA) will let those visitors know exactly what they need to do to become customers. These CTAs should line up with the actions you want your users to take.

For example, if you want your customers to download a PDF, adding an action button that says "Download now!" is a great way to show people what action to take. Same thing if you want them to make a purchase. Adding an "Add to Cart" or "Click here to purchase" button will significantly increase the number of users who take that action.

Website speed

3. Make sure your website is fast.

Speed is key when you want users to stick around. Not only does website loading speed impact your search rankings according to Google's algorithm, but it also impacts users' first impression of your site and whether they stick around or not.

According to recent studies, the average load time for a website is 3.21 seconds on a laptop or desktop. When the page load speed increases from one second to five, the probability of a user "bouncing" off increases 90%. A load time delay of even a second can reduce your conversions by 7%.

Customers landing on your page want the information fast. When you ensure that your website loads fast, you will see a corresponding increase in conversion rate optimization.

Online reviews how to get

4. Limit visitors' choices.

Getting your visitors to take the actions you want them to take is easier when they don't have a million options to choose from. By limiting the number of choices your customers are faced with when they hit your site, you are closer to guaranteeing success with your conversion rate optimization process. While you don't want to take away all of the choices your visitors see, giving them fewer options gives them a clearer path to conversion.

5. Apply the Rule of Thirds.

The Rule of Thirds is usually thought of as a photography principle but it can be applied to web design with great success as well.

To apply the Rule of Thirds to your website, first, divide your site into thirds horizontally and then divide it into thirds vertically. This will give you a grid with nine equal squares and four intersections. The four intersections are where your visitors' eyes will be drawn naturally.

When you put important images, calls to action, or information at these intersections, it can create a more impactful design that gets your visitors to focus more on the important elements. This amount of focus can boost your conversions.

6. Responsive design 

Customers landing on your site through their mobile devices want to have the same experience they would have landing on your site via their desktop. Focusing on responsive design can have a huge impact on your conversion rate.

More and more, consumers are searching primarily through their mobile devices and are more likely to recommend your business if you have a solid mobile website. Google is also incorporating responsive design into the factors they use to determine search rankings. So responsive design is useful for both conversion rate and search engine optimization.

redesigning with a web design agency

7. Use human faces.

Even if the face is unfamiliar to your visitors, having pictures of people on your site will elicit emotional responses that can influence how they feel about your product, service, or call to action. Human faces can also show people where to look.

For example, if you have a picture of someone looking at your headline or call to action, visitors landing on your site will also feel compelled to look at that same element.

8. Make your copy compelling and easy to read.

The biggest factor in whether a website visitor completes the action you want them to and impacts your conversion rate is whether they can comprehend what you want them to do. If you are using a font that is hard for visitors to read, they're not going to stick around long enough to complete an action.

Additionally, your website copy needs to compel them to take that action by showing them what will happen if they don't, eliciting emotional responses that move them to act, and persuading them of the benefits they will receive after taking the action.

6 things your website needs to thrive.

9. Use data-driven decision-making.

Your website can only convert so many visitors if you're not actually offering them things they want or need or you don't actually know how they're interacting with your website. That's where data comes in. 

After you've implemented some of these best practices, you can begin to measure user behavior to continue to boost your conversion rates. The best place to begin is with heat maps that can show you how your visitors are consuming your content.

Next, you can start asking your existing customers what they like, what they want more of, what problems they need help solving, and what isn't cutting it in regards to your products or services. This can give you and your business strategy even more insight into your audience and can help you develop services you may not even have known people need.

Final Word

Taking steps to optimize your site's conversion rate can have a huge positive impact on your business goals. Adding this process into your business strategy is a great way to begin to see more benefits from conversion.

If you need help, have questions, or need an unbiased eye in looking at your website to improve your conversion rate, don't hesitate to give us a call. We'd be more than happy to take a look at your site and help you improve your conversion rate.

Thrive Design is a customer-centric web design company from SeattleContact us today to find out how we can elevate your business online! Find us on Clutch, UpCityLinkedInFacebook, and Twitter.

There are a lot of e-commerce websites out there. In fact, consumers spent 44% more with online retailers in 2020 than they did in 2019. We know that much of this spike has to do with the pandemic-related lockdowns and not being able to shop in brick-and-mortar stores.

We also know that this is a trend that is unlikely to reverse itself as restrictions are lifted and life returns to normal. So how can you ensure that you are getting as much of this more than $800 billion pot?

You make sure that your e-commerce website is great at converting visitors into customers. This doesn't necessarily mean that your website needs to have all the latest features and trends like 360-degree product previews or dynamic product search.

It does mean that you need to have a few solid elements that guarantee customer satisfaction and allow your business to stay relevant and competitive.


Featured Reading: Top 10 Things Every Website Needs


eCommerce Website Essentials

eCommerce Website Design Features You Need to Have

There are a few features that you need to ensure that your e-commerce website design incorporates in order to convert user visits into more sales. Let's dive in.

Related Items

No matter how familiar visitors are with your business and your products, there will always be something new to them or something they need that they didn't know you sell. That's where a "Related Items" feature is helpful. Just using the phrase "you might like this" can cause a serotonin spike and create a stickiness effect that your e-commerce website is missing.

Product Recommendations

In addition to showing customers products related to their purchase, you should also be showing them products related to their specific search and/or purchasing history. These recommendations are a great way to increase your sales and improve customer loyalty.

eCommerce Website Essential: Search

Product Filtering, Sorting, and Search

Allowing customers to narrow down their search with product categories, product filtering and sorting, and a strong search feature is the best way to lead customers to exactly what they are looking for. When paired with the product features above, these are powerful tools that allow customers to control their shopping experience.

Wishlist

Sometimes a visitor may stumble across your site before they are ready to make a purchase. You don't want to lose their business just because they cannot save the products they are interested in. By giving them the option to create a wishlist, you allow them to save a list of products that they are interested in for the time when they are ready to buy.

Customer Logins

The only way your customers can access features like those above is if they have a way to login to your website. Allowing customers to create accounts gives you the information you need on the backend to make personalized recommendations and gives your customers the ability to come back and see the products they have saved.

eCommerce Website Essentials: Reviews

Social Proof/User Reviews

Without being able to interact with your products before buying, potential customers are looking for information about other users' experiences with these items. One of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal is positive product reviews. These reviews should be posted prominently on your product description page.

Calls to Action

By adding clear and concise calls to action to your site's content will result in an uptick in business. Simple button text like "Add to Cart" or "Shop Now" direct users' action in a positive way. It's important not to assume that users will take the action you want them to take.Don't forget to include calls to action on your homepage as well.

FAQs

No matter how well designed your e-commerce website is, someone will always have a question. Whether it's about what products are popular, what shipping options are available, whether you have a physical location, or even how to place an order, there are always some questions you know people will ask.An FAQ section can help your customers get the answer they need without a long pause in their shopping experience while they wait for a response from customer service.

eCommerce Website Essentials: Shipping Info

Shipping Information

One of the first pieces of content a customer will look for when wanting to make a purchase is shipping information. People want to know when they can expect their delivery and how much it's going to cost them. This information should be in a few places on your website such as in the cart and in your FAQs. If shipping is particularly complicated, you may want to consider giving the information its own page.

Contact Information

In addition to a robust FAQ section, it's also important to have an obvious way for customers to contact you directly. Whether it's in the form of clearly presented contact information, an online form, or even a chatbot, when most of your business is taking place online, nothing builds trust like an obvious way for people to get in touch with you.

Security Information and Trust Signals

It's not a small thing to ask customers to input sensitive information like credit card numbers and billing addresses to make a purchase. Especially if you are a small business or you are dealing with a first-time buyer, your potential customers want to know their information is going to be safe. Adding a few trust signals throughout your website, and especially by the "Add to Cart" button will reassure them that their information is safe and encourage them to make the purchase.


Featured Reading: 5 Essentials for Keeping Your WordPress Website Safe


eCommerce Website Essentials: Mobile Friendly

Mobile-Friendly Website

It does not matter what kind of content and amazing products you are offering if potential customers are unable to access that info when they are ready to buy. More and more people are shopping and buying from their phones. In fact, smartphone conversion rates are up 64% over desktop conversion rates.

Short Load Time

Did you know, it takes less than 3 seconds for a person to decide if they like your website? So if you want people to stick around and buy your products or service, don't waste those 3 seconds on a slow loading site. In fact, 40% of people surveyed say they instantly leave a site if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.

Easy to Navigate

Website navigation that requires users to actively look for the information they need is a quick way to drive potential customers away from your site. Your site’s navigation should be easy to figure out and should lead them to the information they need to purchase your company’s products and/or services.

Conclusion

eCommerce website design doesn't have to be cutting-edge or state-of-the-art in order to increase your sales. eCommerce website design just has to be intuitive, easy to use, and accessible. Your customers are used to buying products online. In fact, they probably do it every day. People are just looking for an online experience that they are familiar with.

If you give people access to features, like the ones listed above, they expect from an online store and offer quality products they need, you will have no problem converting potential customers into raving fans.

Thrive Design is a customer-centric web design and development company from Seattle. Contact us today to find out how we can elevate your business online! Find us on Clutch, UpCityLinkedInFacebook, and Twitter.

You've seen them before. You've probably even clicked on more than a few. But you may not have known that they are a proven marketing tactic that can dramatically increase your conversion rate.

They're called "calls to action" and they are what directs your visitors to take a specific action that you want them to take.

What are calls to action?

Let's start at the beginning. You've invested money in a marketing campaign designed to accomplish a certain goal: increased sales, increased website visits, increased downloads, or promoting specific products.

You know what the goal of your marketing campaign is, but will users know what to do once they've encountered your marketing pieces? That's where calls to action come into play.

A call to action (CTA) is a short, simple phrase that directs your website visitors to take specific actions that will move them along your sales funnel. It can be just a few words ("Download Now") or a few sentences ("Want to learn more? Download our free guide today!"). It can be a pop-up, a link, or a button.

A good CTA will encourage specific actions based on where the user is on your site and what content they've been interacting with. For example, a "Contact Us" CTA would be out of place and not as persuasive on a landing page for a downloadable piece of content. A "Download Now" action button would be much more relevant to the goal of the page.


Featured Reading: One Easy Way to Convert Visitors into Customers


Places you see CTAs

You will see calls to action anywhere that a company knows people are paying attention. Specific web analytics can show you where your users are looking on your webpage. This allows companies to put CTA buttons anywhere they know their users are looking.

Web Page Buttons

This is the most common place you will see a CTA. A well-designed CTA will stand out from the rest of the page so you are drawn to it and, therefore, more likely to take action. These action buttons should be easy to click no matter what device your visitors are using.

Opt-In Campaign Buttons

If you're going to interrupt a potential customer's browsing experience with a pop-up CTA, you have to make it worth their while. It should be short. It should be persuasive. And it should be something they will value.

We know that web users don't read all the content they're presented with. They skim. So when you are designing a pop-up CTA button, you need to make the value of clicking immediately stand out. These are great options for sales or free downloads because the value is immediately clear.

Anchor Texts in Blog Posts

In-text CTAs are more subtle than CTA buttons that are used on web pages or in pop-ups. You can see them on this page. They're the links set apart with horizontal lines and the CTA "Read more."

These in-text links are a great way to improve your visitors' user experience. They can point them to related posts, more information about related products, lead generation downloads that are related, or to follow you on social media. All of these actions will bring them further into your sales pipeline, as well as building your reputation as a subject matter expert.

That's not to say that your blog posts should only have in-text CTAs. Blogs are valuable CTA real estate especially for the most valuable CTAs: those that ask people to buy your product or service. These CTAs should be placed at either the top or the bottom of the post as these are the places where people are paying the most attention. You can do some simple A/B testing to find out which placement is most lucrative for your business.

Buttons or Text in Emails

Just like in-text calls to action or CTA buttons on your website, you can effectively use calls to action in your email marketing as well. Whenever you ask your readers to "read the full article," "download now," "take advantage of XX," or "click here to get more information," you're using a call to action.

With email CTAs, it's important to make it stand out. Inboxes are overcrowded and you are pushing out information to your customers, rather than having them come to you through search or a direct click. When you make your links bold or set them apart in an attractive button is key to getting that all-important click.

Text in Social Media Posts

Strong CTAs are crucial to a successful social media strategy. The social media landscape is crowded. There are so many other posts, videos, and links competing for attention that you need to be incredibly clear about the action you want users to take.

A compelling CTA will grab your audience's attention and make them focus on your offer. The actions you want them to take should be clear and easy for them to accomplish. Users on social media are more likely to follow a CTA that is simple like "click here" or "read more" than they are "fill out this form."

If you are looking for some imagery to help your social media engagement, PikWizard holds a stunning library of over 1 million stock images and videos. These are royalty free and safe for commercial use, with no attribution required.


Featured Reading: 5 reasons you need a professional copywriter: step 2 of 9 for dominating online


7 Tips for Writing a Killer CTA

Now that we've covered what CTAs are and where you are likely to find CTA buttons, let's dive into the meat of this article: how to write a killer CTA that will increase conversions and help conversion rate optimization.

Use strong language that's tailored for the page.

First thing first. You don't want just any CTA. Throwing a generic "Download now!" link without any context isn't going to significantly help your conversion rate. You want a tailored, strong CTA that will resonate with your visitors and move them to act.

You need to not only tell people what to do but also why they should do it. It's the why that's going to help you increase sales, downloads, submitted contact forms, or whatever your goal for the page happens to be,

An essential part of this tip is including specific action phrases in your calls to action. It may be tempting to use something cute and crafty but action verbs are what propel the reader to actually take the action that will result in more conversions.

Avoid using the third-person tense.

Using the first or second person tense makes your CTA much more conversational like you're talking to a friend. Addressing your visitors like they're already a customer, a part of your company's family is a great way to encourage them to take the actions you want them to take.

For example, which one are you more likely to click:

Small businesses need a strong web presence. Download this free guide to find out how Thrive helps them grow.

Or

You need a strong web presence. Download this free guide to find out how Thrive can help you grow.

Create a sense of urgency.

The odds of your audience taking the action you want them to take once they have left your page plummet to close to zero. Let's be honest. Very few people will put "Join (company's) email list" on their to-do list and come back to your website to give you their email address.

Without a sense of urgency, your audience will have all the right thoughts and intentions of signing up, downloading, contacting you now but won't in the end.

However, creating a sense of urgency doesn't necessarily mean inspiring panic. Offering time-sensitive deals and discounts, a referral incentive, or a sign-up bonus can be a friendly way to create a little urgency on the part of your customers.

Eliminate roadblocks or friction.

The more steps you ask your visitors to take to complete the actions you are asking them to complete, the more likely they are to drop out of the process before finishing. If you want them to provide their email address to download a PDF guide or list, don't make them click more than twice or provide more information than the bare minimum.

When you click on our "Download now!" button to the right, we ask for your first name and email and BAM! you're done. You get our free guide in your email almost immediately for less than 30 seconds of your time. Our guides wouldn't convert half as well if, for example, this button redirected you to a landing page where you had to scroll to the bottom to get to another download button and then have to put in your information and click a third time.

We want people who want our guides to not have minutes to think really hard about if they really need that information. (They do need the information but the longer we make them wait, the less they want it.)

Make them stand out and easy to find.

You'll read a lot about how simple web design is better and the importance of keeping your pages clutter-free. (We've even written about that topic.) But the exception to this is with your CTA buttons. You want these to be bold and stand out from the rest of your design.

Use a bright color. Put it in the middle of the page or wherever the eye is drawn to first. Give it some context so readers know what to do with it and why it's going to help them.

Make your CTA the solution to a problem

Do you know why people are coming to your website? (If you don't, you really should.) The best way to get people to click on your CTA button is to demonstrate how doing so will solve (or help to solve) the problem they need help with.

Keep it simple

One of my favorite rules in business and in life is KISS (keep it simple, seriously). When we overcomplicate things, it throws up unnecessary roadblocks to action. The same comes with the language we use.

In 99% of cases, the simplest way to say something is the best way. Cheeky or flowery language may go viral or be used in most "best of" lists, but the odds that you'll be able to replicate that success are low. It's much better to be simple and straightforward so we're guaranteed to quickly and effectively communicate with users.


Featured Reading: The Irresistible Freebie: Step 6 of 9 for Dominating Online


13 Proven CTA Phrases

Distilling everything we've talked about in the previous sections, let's take a look at some proven phrases that punctuate successful calls to action. Remember, context is important and it's up to you to provide a simple "why" for your users. These phrases are examples of the action part of "call to action."

Final Word

The best advice I could give when asked "how do I get more visitors to convert to customers" is "ask them to." That's it. It's simple. When you are providing a valuable service that your visitors are interested in, all they need to take the next step is a prompt from you.

Now, this assumes that you have solid content and information they will find valuable in helping them solve a problem and that your website is optimized and easy to use for visitors. Once you have the building blocks in place for a strong web presence, it's time to add some powerful calls to action to your site and marketing materials.

What has been a call to action that was particularly successful for you?

Thrive Design is a customer-centric web design and marketing company from SeattleContact us today to find out how we can elevate your business online! Find us on Clutch, UpCityLinkedInFacebook, and Twitter.

We talk to our clients a lot about the importance of creating sticky websites. A sticky website is one that keeps people around longer than other sites. When people stick around, the odds of converting them from a visitor into a customer increase.

Sticky websites also rank better across search engines. If your website is sticky, your "average time on page" statistics are better which signals to Google and other search engines that users find your website a valuable source of information.

So how do you create a website that keeps customers around? First, you need to understand what turns them away.

Why People Leave Your Site

Your potential customers are looking for websites that add value to their lives. They are inundated by ads throughout their online lives and do not want to visit websites that are just glorified billboards. If they are unable to answer the question "What's in it for me?" within the first 15-30 seconds after landing on your site, they'll leave and your bounce rate will skyrocket.

The other reason that users will leave your site prematurely is fairly simple: trust. Creating a website is deceptively easy and, really, anyone can do it. That means that there are a lot of untrustworthy sites, including ones made by bad actors.

Luckily, many users have unknowingly become fairly sophisticated at analyzing the trustworthiness of a website. They are applying these principles to analyzing your website as well. They're looking for two things.

  1. Proof that your website is legitimate. These are things like recognized validation symbols, easy ways to contact you, ratings & reviews, awards & recognition, and other things that prove you and your business are legit.
  2. Proof that your website is spam. We as consumers have gotten very good at spotting fake and spammy websites. Websites that are overrun with ads, autoplay videos, and overly invasive information requests automatically send up red flags with average web users.

By focusing on adding elements that boost perceptions in the first category and limiting elements that boost perceptions in the second category, you enhance the likelihood of capturing people's attention long enough to employ other strategies designed to keep potential customers around.

Seven Content Tips to Keep People Around

Now that we've covered why people leave your site, let's talk about how you can encourage them to stay around.

Create content that keeps its promises.

Clickbait has a terrible reputation for a reason: people hate being promised one thing and then given another. Your blog posts and landing pages need to fulfill the promise set by the headline if you want people to stick around longer than a few seconds.

Create content that's scannable

Fun fact: users spend an average of fewer than six seconds looking at your website's content. That doesn't mean they aren't getting any use out of it. It just means that they are reading your website in a different way than they read, say, a book.

Website visitors scan your content to get what they need in the least amount of time. If you create content designed with this reading behavior in mind, users will return to your website time and again to get what they need.

Engaging and informative subheadings, as well as shorter paragraphs (two to three sentences), are key to creating a scannable piece of content, even in your long-form content. Lists and infographics are also great options for easy-to-scan content.


Keep Reading: 5 Reasons You Need a Professional Copywriter: Step 2 of 9 for Dominating Online


Create content that directs them on what to do next.

Even the most well-written posts will leave visitors cold if there's nothing in there that directs them on what to do next. The best time to ask them to take action is right after they've finished reading a blog post. Don't be afraid of direct calls-to-action (CTAs). These CTAs add value to the user experience and increase the time spent on your site.

Another way to direct readers to other content of value is to insert internal links to related content throughout your content as a way to direct traffic through your site. (Ever started reading a particularly valuable article and clicking on every link in it to read more? That's the kind of content direction we're talking about.)

Landing and thank you pages that add value.

Whenever you have an opportunity to keep traffic on your website, you need to take it. This is especially true with your landing and thank you pages. Users that have landed on these pages have taken an action that shows they are interested in your product or business and want to learn more.

Instead of leaving that lead cold, why not present them with related, useful content on your site that keeps the reader engaged longer.

Look at opportunities for guest blogging and/or adding guest bloggers to your site.

Guest blogging is a win/win arrangement. When you host guest bloggers on your site, you're inviting a brand new audience to your website as well as taking a little bit of content creation off of your plate. Just be sure that you only post high-quality, original posts without spammy links. Google is cracking way down on low-quality guest blogging.

Similarly, when you guest blog on other sites, you're able to build credible and trustworthy backlinks to your site. These backlinks are a key part of your search engine optimization strategy.

Start posting on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn has become the most valuable B2B social media site out there. If you have a moderate to large following on that platform, it can be incredibly valuable to start posting content there to start directing traffic back to your own website. This will also serve to raise your profile in your industry and build trust.


Keep Reading: 12 Effective Digital Marketing Strategies in 2020 and Beyond


Start targeting long-tail keywords.

Have you nailed your high-intent and popular keyword bases in your SEO strategy? If so, it's time to start investigating the best long-tail keywords to begin targeting. Long-tail keywords are more like search phrases than search words and it's the future of search.

Long-tail keywords now account for the majority of web searches. People are no longer searching for "wallpaper removal." They're searching for "best ways to remove wallpaper." It's time to start incorporating these in your paid SEO strategies.

Seven Formatting Tips to Keep People Around

Content aside, there are many things you can do to make your website a pleasant experience for your visitors. People like to hang out on websites that are welcoming and easy to use. These easy to implement formatting tips will help keep your bounce rate low.

Final Word

A sticky website is one that benefits both your potential customers and your business. A sticky website works hard to keep your visitors around long enough that they become warm leads and then, eventually, customers. A sticky website is the strongest tool in your digital arsenal.

So, you have to ask yourself: How sticky is your website?

Thrive Design is a customer-centric web design and marketing company from Seattle. Contact us today to find out how we can elevate your business online! Find us on Clutch, UpCityLinkedInFacebook, and Twitter.

2021 is around the corner and it’s time to start planning your new year. We’ve talked a lot about how important a website is to your business and your entire online presence. When you hire a professional web design firm, the interview phase is key to ensuring you get exactly what you need. But what questions should you ask a web design agency?

You don’t want to feel like you’re asking questions just to ask questions. You want to ask questions that will help you pick the perfect agency for your website needs.

These ten questions are designed to help you get the information you need to help you find a web design firm that provides you with the level of service you need and a website that takes your business to the next level.

10 Questions to Ask a Web Design Agency

These are a great starting point for interviewing a web design company when you’re looking to update the look, feel, and functionality of your website.

You can add to them with your own specific questions. Remove ones that aren’t relevant to your situation. Tailor all of them to your specific needs.

Let’s dive in.

1. How often do you give updates on the project?

Does the agency you are interested in have a schedule for regularly communicating project updates or do they rely on the client to take the lead?

Is there a streamlined process for getting updates? What about revisions?

If my plans change, how can you address that with the design company?

Will you have access to a dashboard to track progress or a dedicated point of contact?

When you’re investing a significant amount of money into a project, you want to be sure that the project is on track and that you’re getting what you want. Good project management on the agency's side is crucial for success. This concept is why wedding dresses and custom suits require multiple fittings. When you’re paying that much money, you want to make sure that the quality is there and the fit is perfect.

An agency that doesn’t have a system for providing feedback to clients, whether it’s through a project dashboard that is automatically updated or a single point of contact who is in touch regularly, isn’t an agency that’s focused on providing a high level of customer service.

2. What happens if we disagree on what is included in the project?

This is a tricky one. In retail, there’s a popular saying that the customer is always right. That’s not always the case for web design clients.

As web designers, we have detailed knowledge about what websites can and cannot do. We read news stories and blogs daily about the latest technologies, tools, and trends that affect web design. We live and breathe this stuff.

On the other side of the table is you, the client.

You have intimate, detailed knowledge of your business and what it needs in a website. You know your audience inside and out. You are aware of what your competition’s websites look like and what kinds of things they can do. You know what your goals are for the new website.

As experts in each of our areas, there will come a time when we don’t agree on something that should be included in your new website. Whether it’s a feature that’s prominent on your competitor’s site but is about to be obsolete or a layout choice that works great for your products but is dated in terms of web design trends, you and your web designer will disagree at some point.

It’s how this kind of disagreement is handled that sets a good web design agency apart from a great web design agency. You want to work with an agency that can get to why you want a certain feature or layout, and provide you with options that take the best advantage of current trends and technologies.

You don’t want an agency that believes they know best when it comes to your website.

3. What hours are you available for meetings?

This is important when you are working with an agency in a different time zone. I’m based in Seattle and work with clients and partners in Australia to England time zones, so I am very familiar with the need to verify when people are available for meetings.

When working with an agency, you want to find one that has working hours that at least have a little overlap with yours so meetings aren’t too hard to schedule. If the best choice for you has little to no overlap with working hours, you need to ensure they are willing to be flexible to accommodate your schedule before you sign anything.

No one wants to get excited about finding the perfect agency to realize that you can only meet with them at 7 AM or 7 PM local time.

Along with this, you also want to ask about their turnaround time for email requests. No one wants to sit anxiously waiting to hear back from their web designer when they have a question. You want to work with a company that prioritizes client service and respects your time.

4. Do you offer website hosting?

Spoiler alert: Not all web design agencies will host your finished product. This means you’ll be on your own to find a third-party hosting provider that can provide a hosting environment that provides enough bandwidth and speed to power your new site. That's why this is a key question in any interview you hold.

When you work with an agency that provides hosting, whether through a third-party or on its own, you are guaranteeing yourself and your website a better operational experience. Why?

No shared hosting means fewer sites on the server. Fewer sites on the server means faster speeds and less chance of a virus from another site bringing down the server.

The hosting provider is guaranteed to be an expert on the platform your website is built on. For us, that means we are WordPress experts. We stay up-to-date on the latest vulnerabilities and patches and your WordPress site stays as safe as possible.

Your hosting provider already knows the ins and outs of your website. If you’re the kind of person who takes their car to the dealer for service, you know what we’re talking about. Who better to know how to fix something that broke than the company that built it in the first place?

Agencies that host sites they build generally have faster support response times. Because of the 24/7 monitoring system and dedicated team of professionals, we can boast of a 15-minute response time. A quicker response, by the people responsible for maintaining your site hosting, is a service virtually unmatched.

(It is important to note that website hosting is usually an additional cost above and beyond the price for the design and involves an ongoing contract.)

5. What happens when my website goes down?

If you find an agency that does provide their own or managed hosting services, a few follow-up questions are needed to ensure that the service they provide is the service you need. The internet can be a daunting place for websites. There is always someone looking to steal your customers’ information or use your website for other nefarious purposes.

You want an agency that backs up your website regularly so that, if your website does go offline, the most recent version of it is ready to go. This practice is essential to minimizing your website’s downtime in case of a malware or ransomware attack. They should also be clear on what their process is in the event of a downtime or hacking event.

Downtime costs your business money. Every minute your website is offline is a minute a customer isn’t finding you. While security plugins do some work, nothing beats a person to talk to when something goes wrong. A web design agency that provides hosting should be able to provide you with uptime statistics that show the average amount of time their websites stay online.

At Thrive, we offer managed hosting services through Kinsta, a company dedicated to hosting WordPress websites that guarantees 99.7% uptime. When you purchase a Thrive Care Plan, we provide 24-hour backup, service, and performance monitoring.

6. What happens if my website is hacked?

When a website is hacked it must be cleaned or restored from a backup. You need a hosting provider that backs up your website regularly so there’s an up to date copy ready to go.

You need a hosting provider that provides 24/7 service. Website hacks don’t conform to normal business hours. They can happen at any time of day, any day of the week. You need a hosting provider that is on call at all hours to address the hack as soon as possible keeping your visitors and their information safe.

Because we offer hosting services through Kinsta, if your website gets hacked while we are hosting it, we will clean up and restore your website for free as a part of our Care Plan.

While there are many WordPress security plugins available, if an agency is offering hosting services, they should be able to tell you in detail what the process is for notifying you, fixing the vulnerability, and getting your website back to normal.

7. Will I own my website?

Let's talk for a minute about Squarespace and Wix. It is possible to build low-cost websites on these platforms or find inexpensive designers who will customize one for you. It's a tempting route for some business owners.

But, and this is a big but, you do not own your website. If you decide to leave to a more robust platform like WordPress, it's almost impossible to transfer your site out of these platforms. That's because you are essentially just renting space that you can customize.

Think about it like a brick and mortar business. Working with Squarespace and Wix is like leasing space from a landlord. You get a base to start from and can customize it pretty well but, at the end of your lease, it's hard to take everything with you and replicate it elsewhere.

Some web design companies offer to build your site on their proprietary platform. This is kind of like the Squarespace/Wix scenario. Unless they build it in a way that allows you to easily transfer content management systems, it will be hard to replicate if you leave their proprietary platform.

Speaking of content management systems, you want to be able to ensure that you can use the CMS used for building your website. It’s important for time and budget management that you can make small changes on your website when you need them, without having to go through an agency. You should also ensure that your site can be transferred between content management systems so you have flexibility down the line when it comes to hosting.

Finally, if there are conditions to you owning your website, such as staying with the agency for a certain length of time, you need to understand those before signing any contract.

8. Will I own the copyright to the content?

By law, the person who creates content is the person who owns the content, unless otherwise stated. This includes the copy and images used on your site. It may not seem like a big deal who owns the copy and images on your website but imagine this. You end up taking your website to a different hosting provider after it’s done being designed. Your competitor goes to your original agency and, because they still own the rights to the content created for you, they use it pretty much verbatim while tweaking it for their new client.

If they own the content, this could absolutely happen. It’s unethical and pretty shady, but it’s not illegal and it’s not something you could easily sue them over.

By owning the copyright to the copy and images created for your website, you ensure that your brand voice and integrity is safe. You are the one who can protect it. You are not relying on a third party to value your brand identity as highly as you do.

However, many agencies do allow you to submit your own content that they will drop into their design. If you find an agency that is otherwise a fit, this could be a good option to consider. There are many freelance writers and content producers that can work with you to produce website content that you will own.

Whether you work with the web design firm itself on the copy or hire a freelancer, it's important that you consider search engine optimization when it comes to your content. (Yes, including images. There's lots of important SEO work that needs to be done on image descriptions and alt tags.) Who owns your content doesn't matter much if search engines don't register it.

Related reading: SEO Seattle
Related reading: Copywriting seattle

9. Will I be working with a dedicated designer or will multiple designers be responsible for my project?

The larger the design company, the larger the team of designers ready to take a stab at your website. While this may be a bit of hyperbole but larger agencies do have multiple teams of designers in order to spread the workload around and not overwhelm one or two designers.

When a team of designers is working on your project, you can have two, three, or even four individual designers making design choices and changes to your site. Unless a team is a well-oiled machine, having multiple people with multiple design points of view and multiple opinions can spell disaster, or at least mediocrity, for your website. You can ask them to address how their teams work together to benefit the client.

Now, these same dynamics could push your site to be better but the same results can be had from a single designer whose aesthetic you like and with whom you have regular meetings. A single designer means a single point of contact and just one pair of hands making changes, reducing the risks of mistakes and oversights.

Website content is key

10. How many websites like mine have you built?

Unless you are purposefully looking to take a chance on a newer designer in exchange for a lower price, experience matters a lot in web design. Each kind of website has different requirements, different goals, different outcomes.

A designer who specializes in e-commerce sites may not be able to design the best authoritative website and vice versa, someone who only builds websites that only generate leads may not be able to design an effective e-commerce website.

Ask how many sites like yours the agency has built and ask to see examples of their work. You want to make sure that they show you sites in the same category as yours so you have a good idea of what you’re getting for your money. You can and should talk directly with the businesses they worked with that have sites like yours. It will give you a good feel for what working with the design company will be like.

If you ask to see sites whose main purpose is to generate leads and all they show you are e-commerce sites, odds are good that they don’t know a lot about what goes into a lead-generating website.

Take the time to figure out what kind of website you have and what kind of website you want before sitting down to talk to design agencies and you’ll be better prepared to judge the kinds of websites they share.

Final Word

Choosing the right web design agency is an incredibly important decision. Odds are, you are prepared to spend thousands of dollars updating your website and you want to be able to leave it alone aside from regular content updates for a while. If you choose the wrong agency, you’ll end up with a site that doesn’t meet your needs and doesn’t move your business forward.

Thrive could be exactly the right fit for your business.

If you’re ready to get started and have a good idea of what you need, go ahead and fill out our Project Inquiry Form, and we will be in touch ASAP.

If you’re curious and want to know more about us, our design process, and how we can help you revitalize your web presence, drop us a line, and we’ll get in touch to schedule a time to chat.

Either way, we’re excited to hear from you.

Thrive Design is a customer-centric web design agency from Seattle. Contact us today to find out how we can elevate your business online! Find us on Clutch, UpCityLinkedInFacebook, and Twitter.

If you clicked on this article, odds are good that you need a new website or, at the very least, a redesigned website. Your website should be easy to maintain and update and do more work than you at bringing in new business. If it's not meeting these two, basic requirements of a business website, then you have some work to do.

That said, it can be hard to pull the trigger on a potentially-expensive and lengthy redesign process based on just your gut feeling. To help you in your decision-making process, here is a list of seven, easy-to-measure signs that your website needs to be updated.

Seven Benchmarks for Website Redesign

There are seven questions you can ask yourself about your current website to easily figure out if it's time for a new website or an in-depth redesign. These questions should be easy to answer and will give you a good starting place if you decide it's time for a redesign.

Low Conversion Rate

Your conversion rate is the measurement of how many potential customers that come to your website turn into actual customers. A website that ranks well and brings in lots of leads is great but if those leads aren't turning into customers, your website isn't doing its job.

A low conversion rate can be a sign that visitors don't find your website helpful in solving the problem they need help solving. Your website should be designed with your target audience in mind. It should be designed so they can find the answers to their questions quickly and easily.

Strategically placed calls-to-action and opt-ins above and below the fold help increase conversions and strategically optimizing for important long-tail keywords will help you attract clients who are ready to buy. Your website design should help your conversion rate not hinder it.

High Bounce Rate

Another sign that your website isn't meeting the needs of your customers is a sky-high bounce rate. A high bounce rate shows that your customers are coming to your page, not finding what they need, and immediately leaving. Google Analytics will show you this statistic right on your search console.

You want your bounce rate to be below 40%. A bounce rate between 40-55% is generally ok; there's some room for improvement but you're not in real trouble. A bounce rate above 55% shows real room for improvement for your website.


Featured Reading: Why is Web Design Important


Not Mobile Optimized

If your website is not mobile responsive, it is definitely time for a redesign. Having a website that is mobile-friendly is no longer optional. Search engines, led by Google, are now basing search rankings in part on whether a site is mobile responsive. Your site's search engine optimization is now partly based on whether your site is mobile-friendly.

Additionally, mobile website traffic makes up more than half of web visits. If your site isn't compatible with mobile devices, you're missing out on all those potential visitors. Your visitors expect the same user experience from your website, no matter what device they use to access it.

Let's take a look at some more numbers.

A redesign that incorporates the principles of responsive web design is a good move to improve your SEO, as well as your conversion rate and user experience.

Related reading: SEO Seattle

Slow Page Load Speeds

Did you know that 47% of consumers expect your site to load in less than 2 seconds and that 40% of those will leave if it takes more than 3 seconds to load? That's a lot of potential traffic you could be missing out on if your site is a slow loader.

Older sites tend to have graphics and images that are not optimized for a speedy loading experience. Users want what they want when they want it. They aren't going to hang around for all those graphics and images to load.

Long load times will also impact your site's search engine optimization. Google and other search engines prioritize load speeds when determining your search ranking.

Google started using site speed as a ranking signal in their algorithm in 2010. Google doubled down on the importance of page speed in 2018 by starting to use mobile page speed as a ranking in their mobile search results. Page speed will become even more important next year as Google has announced they will be implementing an update that will start judging web pages based on on-page experience, including page speed.

If you want to see how your website's speed measures up, check out Google's PageSpeed Insights. This will give you a good idea about whether you need a redesign before the 2021 updates go live.


Featured Reading: Top 10 Reasons Your WordPress Website is Loading Slow


Company Goals & Priorities Have Changed

Nothing in life is forever, including your business and industry. Your website needs to evolve with your brand, products, and messaging. Your website needs to align with your message and the best practices in your industry. This is especially true if you have gone through a rebranding since your current site went live. Any good rebranding should have included an updated website but sometimes things fall through the cracks.

Your website needs to support the rest of your business. In the time since your last redesign, services may have come and gone. Your focus may have shifted from a product-based business to a consultant-based business, or vice versa. If your website doesn't reflect the changes made to your brand's services, look, and feel, you risk losing customers who get confused.

Even if nothing substantial about your business has changed, your website objectives may have changed. You may have started with an informational website designed to answer visitor questions but is that what you still need? Do you want a site that has e-commerce capabilities? Or one that allows your visitors to schedule appointments?

If your priorities and objectives have changed, your website needs to change as well.

You Have to Call Someone When You Need to Update Your Site

Content management is a big part of a functional website. If your website isn't built with a user-friendly content management system, then your website is probably costing you money to make even the simplest of content updates. Adding blog posts shouldn't require a phone call or email.

Your content marketing strategy relies on your ability to update your website regularly. If you have to rely on a web developer or outside third party for content updates, your website is costing you time and money when it doesn't have to.

A website built on a content management system, such as WordPress, allows you and your staff to quickly and easily make updates as needed.

Website Looks & Feels Outdated

Just like fashion and home design, web design is defined by trends. Your website may not be bad, per se, but there's a good possibility it looks outdated if it has been more than three to five years since your last redesign.

If you're not a tech person and can't tell or don't care what looks or feels outdated, a good way to check is to look at your competitors' websites. Are they markedly different from yours? If they are, there's a good chance that your website is outdated.

Another reason to prioritize the look and feel of your website is that web users want to look at content that is beautifully designed and it impacts what they think about a business overall. When asked what their number one factor was in deciding the credibility of a business is, 48% said it was the website's design.

If you don't find your website nice to look at, then neither does anyone else. You need a website that is engaging, pleasing to the eye, and puts your brand's best foot forward. Remember, your website is your prospects' first impression and you want to make sure it's a good one.


Featured Reading: 10 Examples of Ugly Websites and How We Would Fix Them


Final Word

Your website is the digital front door for your business. As more and more consumers are turning to the web to find places to shop locally, it's vital that your website is designed to answer their questions and keep them around long enough to convert them to customers. A website redesign or re-do could be just the thing you need if your website isn't converting customers like it used to.

Thrive Design is a customer-centric web design and development company from SeattleContact us today to find out how we can elevate your business online! Find us on Clutch, UpCityLinkedInFacebook, and Twitter.

Category: Web design seattle

Trust me when I say I know how weird it is that I, a web designer, am writing a blog about how to find the right web designer. It seems like a conflict of interest when, logically, I'm going to want the answer to be "Thrive Design is the right web designer for you."

However, after being in the web design business since 2002, I know that not every client is going to be right for me and I'm not going to be right for every client. When there is a designer/client mismatch, the client ends up unhappy and the designer is left with a hole in their portfolio and potential bad reviews circulating the internet.

Which means, I am invested in making sure that the potential clients that come my way end up with the right designer for their project, even if it isn't me. That way, everybody wins!

Ready? Let's dive into the five things you should be looking for in a web designer.

5 Tips for Choosing the Right Web Designer

Now that you know that I'm not here to just sell you on how great Thrive is, let's talk about what you need to know when looking for a web design agency.

1. Do your homework.

First thing's first, you need to conduct thorough research and we're not just talking about which web design companies you like.

In order to find the right web designer, you should be able to answer the following questions:

Once you can answer these questions, it's time to look at options. The first thing people will tell you is to check out the portfolio of any company you are considering.

It's important, when you look at their portfolios, to pay special attention to more than just the picture they show you. Make sure you visit the site itself. Check the footer and see if that company is still doing the company's website work (most designers and developers include a link to their site and a credit in the footer).

Pay attention to how fast the pages load as page speed is an important factor in SEO and depends greatly on the quality of the web design.

Check out how the sites look on your phone and your desktop. Is the layout simple and uncomplicated? If you were a potential customer of that business, are you able to quickly understand what it is they do and find the information you need in one or two clicks?

Just remember that portfolios aren't a comprehensive list of everything a designer is able to do. If you like the look of their work, make a note of the features you want that you don't see and ask them if that's something they're able to do. You may be the first person to want that feature!


Featured Reading: 10 Best Web Design Interview Questions in 2021


2. Look for a company that wants to have a conversation with you.

All companies you look at will want to have an initial meeting with you to discuss your goals, what you want your website to look like and do, and your budget. It's standard. But, during this meeting, there are a few things you want to look for on the other side of the table (or camera).

You want a web design company that acknowledges and appreciates your expertise. You know what you're selling, and you have some idea of how you need to present it to your potential customers for maximum impact. No one knows your business better than you do. If a web design company doesn't recognize this and won't listen to your ideas, then they are not the company for you.

On the other side of that coin, you also don't want a web designer that says yes to absolutely everything you ask for, while not contributing any ideas of their own. You want to work with someone who is confident in their knowledge and expertise, and who isn't afraid to use that to create a website better than you imagined.

If a web design agency does nothing but nod their heads and produce an exact replica of what you say, then you aren't getting your money's worth. Your designer must be able to bring exciting ideas to the table.

It's also important to find a web design company that knows that this first conversation should not be the last one you have before being presented with a final product. Look for a web designer that has a plan for frequent communication and an easy way for you to send feedback throughout the design process.

Your opinions, experience, and observations are what is going to differentiate your website from your competitors' websites. You deserve to work with a designer that will put them to use.

3. They offer all of the services you need.

Unless you are lucky enough to have employees that are SEO experts, copywriters, and marketers, you're going to want to find a design company that can help with those elements as well. A website without digital marketing is like a chair with only three legs. Sure, you can use it but you know there's something missing.

Your website is the hub of all of your marketing. It's the endpoint for 99% of the customers you are reaching out to with your marketing pieces. When you work with a designer that is backed by a marketing team, you can be confident that your website will be functional as an overall piece of your business engine.

Ask about all the services your candidates offer as a part of your interview process. Will they help you create the content for your website? Can they help you with your overall SEO? Will they help you with branding? What about photography?

These questions will give you a better picture of what exactly you will be getting for the money you are investing.

4. They are technologically savvy.

This may sound obvious, but you want a web designer/developer that knows the latest best practices and conventions for creating websites that are easily found and user-friendly.

When it comes to web design, there are skills every designer should have but, most importantly, they should be dedicated to constantly adding to this list. Technology is not static. Google's algorithm is not static. Your developer's knowledge should not be static.

When reviewing a potential web designer's portfolio, make sure that they include examples of responsive sites. As more people are using their phones to browse vs their desktop or laptop, it's important that your designer can ensure your site is optimized no matter what device it is accessed from.

Responsive design is not just an important part of the user experience; Google has begun ranking websites based on whether they are responsive. If a candidate does not have experience or suggests a separate mobile site instead of a truly responsive design, it's time to move on to the next candidate. Responsive design is not a fad and you need a designer that knows that as well.

Your web designer should also design your website within a content management system such as WordPress, Drupal, Magento, or other web design software.

We are strictly a WordPress designer/developer for many reasons. Without a content management system, you will have to rely on your developer to make every single update your website needs from now until eternity.

If they mention a static HTML site, run, don't walk, far away, away from them. You need a content management system.

In addition to being up on the latest technology, whoever you choose should understand that creating your website should be about more than just making it aesthetically pleasing. They need to know how to create a website that will convert prospective customers into paying customers.

This includes knowledge of user-experience design, what makes an intuitive layout, and how to create powerful calls to action. They also should ensure that coding, WordPress theme, and plug-ins are all updated and running (before AND after launch).

5. Make sure you actually like them.

Price is important. Their portfolio is important. Their knowledge is important. But the most important thing to note is whether you like them or not.

If you hire someone you don't like, you're not going to want to get in touch You're going to procrastinate calling when you need something. You're not going to engage in chit-chat that is sometimes way more enlightening to your designer than any formal interview.

In short, your project will suffer.


Featured Reading: How Much Does it Cost to Redesign a Website?


Final Word

Your project deserves the right web designer. I hope these tips will help you choose the designer that will bring the right combination of know-how and experience to create a website that will serve as the perfect center for your business marketing ecosystem.

For more on Thrive's services and process check out the below video.

Thrive Design is a customer-centric web design company from SeattleContact us today to find out how we can elevate your business online! Find us on Clutch, UpCityLinkedIn, and Facebook.

Category: Web design seattle

Category: SEO Seattle

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is one of the most effective ways to get your business found online. When done well, SEO can get your WordPress website on the all-important first page of Google, and other search engines, for the search terms that lead to revenue for you and your business.

But implementing a good SEO strategy can be tricky. There's a reason there are so many companies that offer just WordPress SEO services. If you don't have the budget for that, or just prefer a DIY approach, here are ten things you can do to make sure your SEO strategy is as effective as possible.

10 Steps to Better SEO

10 steps to better SEO

So where do you start with establishing a strong and effective SEO strategy? Search engines are constantly tweaking the ways that they assign rankings so it can be hard to figure out how to keep on top of the changes. Not to worry. There are some basic things you can do to show your website's strength to search engines.

These 10 steps will help put you and your WordPress website on the path to SEO success.

1. Define Your Strategy

The first step in any good plan is to articulate where you are and where you want to go. Start with an analysis of your website, your business, and your services or products. Look for what is working in these categories, and what can be improved with better SEO.

Remember, increasing your search rankings is only part of the picture. Setting other goals, whether it's building a customer database, getting more bookings, or increasing sales, is crucial for an SEO campaign that results in meaningful actions for your business.


Featured Reading: Local SEO is Crucial for Service-Based Companies


2. Analyze Your Competition

Identify other local businesses that are offering the same services as you. They are your competition for Google search position. Looking at the marketing strategies they are implementing can give you direction or inspiration on the elements you could include in your strategy as well as highlighting anything you are missing.

Here are some questions to ask in your analysis:

3. Keyword Research

Keyword research is one of the most important steps in SEO. To optimize your WordPress website for search you need to know what your customers are searching for. Google's Keyword Planner tool allows you to enter keywords related to your business and see what volume of monthly searches they generate in your location which is a good way to gauge their popularity. Google Keyword Planner also offers suggestions of related search terms to help you identify opportunities you may not have thought of yourself.

Improve your SEO

4. Content Optimization

Now that you've selected the keywords you want to target, look at the structure of your WordPress website pages and the content on them. You'll want to aim to have one page for each of your major keywords with 500+ words of good quality content. Don't forget to consider the structure of your page – breaking up content with relevant subheadings and including images can help your SEO when done correctly.

One part of your website to pay close attention to is your blog. Blog posts are prime opportunities for boosting your SEO, especially when it comes to specific keywords. You can create and structure your blog posts to target specific keywords that are hard to target in other parts of your website.

5. Optimize On-Page SEO

Once you've made sure you have relevant pages and content on your site, it's time to start implementing your on-page SEO. Use the primary keyword for each page strategically in your meta titles, descriptions, page headings and subheadings, URL, image optimization, and page content. Use variations on your keyword to avoid being repetitive and remember, search engines like Google is looking for readability so don't stuff keywords in excessively or out of context.

6. Build Quality Backlinks

A backlink is simply a link from another website back to yours. Backlinks act as a referral source, letting Google and other search engines know that your WordPress website is a trustworthy resource, but the quality of the link source is also important. Look for link opportunities from other websites in your industry, association profiles, businesses in your local area, and relevant directory listings.

One great place to start building backlinks is through your Google My Business profile. Google My Business is a great place to solicit ratings and reviews, and to also link back to your website.

7. Optimize Your WordPress Website for Mobile

Google now analyses websites based on mobile-first indexing, meaning mobile-responsive design is more important than ever. If your website doesn't perform well on mobile, you're also likely to lose customers who are trying to visit your page on their phones so updating your website to be functional across a range of devices is a win-win situation. There are some great mobile-friendly themes available on WordPress so you don't have to do the development yourself.


Featured Reading: Your Website has 15-30 Seconds to Impress


8. Page Speed

Page speed is an important factor in your rankings, Google ranks faster pages higher, but also impacts other important metrics such as the bounce rate of your site (users who leave without interacting with your site) and time spent on site, both of which also impact your organic position.

Data suggests that 53% of users will leave a page if it takes more than 3 seconds to load and 50% expect it to load in 2 seconds or less. This is especially true for consumers searching on their mobile device Running a report using a free tool such as GTMetrix will provide you with a report on your current website performance and provide suggestions on how to improve it.

One easy place to start is ensuring that your website's images are all of the optimum size. Images that are too large will slow down your website's speed. By strategically sizing down your images, your customers won't notice anything except a website that loads faster.

Improve your SEO

9. Track Your Progress

To know how effective your SEO is, you'll need a clear way to track its performance. Remember those goals you identified in step 1? Make sure you have a method in place to collect data around these, whether it's appointment booking numbers, sales figures, or signups.

It's also a good idea to track general analytics data around your website and SEO performance. Tools like Google Analytics can track your organic traffic and goal conversions, while a good rank tracking tool can help you see the changes in your search results position for your chosen keywords.

10. Analyze and Adapt

SEO is a living process. For it to work well, it cannot be a case of set and forget. You should be consistently reviewing your data, revisiting competitor analysis, refreshing your keyword data, updating your content, building backlinks, and adapting to Google algorithm changes to keep your SEO efforts relevant and up to date.

Bonus Tip: Check Out Your Backend SEO

There are many places in the backend of your website where you can beef up your website's SEO. On each page of your website, you can optimize the image description, title tags, meta descriptions, meta tags, H1 headings, and page names. Search engines crawl each of these elements to determine your site's ranking and, the great thing is, most are invisible to your site's visitors.

Final Word

Search engines are the best friend and worst enemy of the small business website. They can bring you more traffic than you can handle and, sometimes, they also can seem to overlook you for no apparent reason. That's where tweaking your WordPress SEO can help.

However, if it seems like doing SEO right is a lot of work, you're right. It is. But it's also work that is worth it to your business's bottom line. We get it and we've expanded our services to help.

Our new SEO service will help you realize all the benefits of a professionally crafted SEO strategy, without all of the work involved. (We know how to get you on page one of Google and keep you there.)

A strong SEO strategy is the best way to bring a steady stream of new traffic directly to your digital front door. The long-term results you achieve from an SEO strategy cannot be replicated. Our SEO experts can help create a custom campaign that will deliver the results you need to take your business to the next level.

Thrive Design is a customer-centric web design and marketing company from Seattle. Contact us today to find out how we can elevate your business online! Find us on Clutch, UpCityLinkedInFacebook, and Twitter.

When I'm working with clients, I use the same framework for establishing online dominance that I have used for my own business. These nine elements haven't steered me wrong in the many years that I have been building websites for businesses.

The first element that I tackle with all my clients is brand identity. A strong brand identity makes you more memorable, makes your marketing more cohesive, and gives your customers something to relate with.

Branding

What is a brand identity?

Let’s start with the basics. A strong brand identity is more than a logo. Brand identity encompasses the look and feel of your website. It's how you talk about your business. It's what first comes to your target audience's mind when they hear the name of your business.

Here's an exercise to help you understand more about what is involved with a brand. First, close your eyes and think about Wal-Mart and note the things that you think about. Do you think about the low costs, the colors blue and yellow, a bouncing smiley face or sun icon (depending on how old you are)?

Next, close your eyes and think about Target. Do you think about different things? Maybe quality products, the color red, a small dog, or their collaborations with famous designers or brands?

At the basic level, Wal-Mart and Target are the same store. They are both one-stop-shops for all of your needs. Many have groceries in addition to clothing, home goods, electronics, toys, and sports equipment. They both have seasonal sections where you can get Halloween costumes, pool toys, or Christmas decorations depending on the time of year.

But when you think of each of these stores, you probably thought of very different things. That's because they each have a very specific and very strong brand identity. While a logo or tagline may have also crossed your mind, most of what you thought about probably had nothing to do with either of those. That's because brand identity encompasses more than just a logo or tagline.


Featured Reading: Data-Driven Results: Step 5 of 9 for Dominating Online


What does a brand do?

Brand identity is a powerful tool you can use to differentiate yourself from your competitors. It's another way you can show yourself to be different from all of the other painters, real estate agents, pool companies, dentists, or whatever business you find yourself in.

A brand gives your company an identity beyond your product or services. Your customers want to do business with a company that isn't just a “dentist” or a “real estate agent.” They want a “family dentist” or a “holistic dentist.” They want a “friendly real estate agent” or a “knowledgeable real estate agent.” Branding gives your customers something to connect with, which makes them feel like they know your business better.

A strong, consistent brand helps you with your marketing and advertising activities. When you have a consistent brand that your audience recognizes and connects with, it gives everything else your company does an extra impact.

A brand makes your company more memorable. When you give your company an identity that your customers connect with, they are more likely to remember you over your competition. They are also more likely to do business with a brand they recognize and identify with.

A strong brand will help you build your business above and beyond where you are now. It will give everything you do more impact and help your customers distinguish you from your competitors in an often crowded marketplace.

What is your brand

What is your brand?

The great thing about branding is that you can control these impressions that your business gives to your customers. Everything from the colors you choose, the logo you design, the words you use, and the look and feel of your website can help mold your customers' impressions of your business.

Here are the five things you need to think about when designing your brand:

Your target audience.

One of the biggest misconceptions about branding is that your brand is about you and your business. Your brand is FOR your business but it should be ABOUT your audience. They are the ones who interact with your brand on a daily basis. They are the ones you are trying to attract with your brand.

Every decision you make about your brand should be true to your business, yes. But it also needs to be designed to appeal to your audience. If your audience is families with young children, your brand should be bright and cheery even if you prefer muted colors and simple images.

Your mission statement.

Your mission statement is all about the purpose of your business. It's the statement of why you started your business. You cannot create a brand that people will trust, value, and identify with if you cannot tell them why your business exists or why you're passionate about your business.

Your unique value proposition.

Another aspect of your business that needs to be conveyed through your brand is how you are different from your competitors. How does your business improve the lives of your customers? What sets you apart from the other businesses in your field?

What visual feel you want to convey.

Once you have an idea of why your business exists and how it's different from your competitors, the fun starts. Now is the time to figure out how all of this should be conveyed visually through your logo, colors, brand images, colors, and fonts.

If you are uncomfortable with this step, graphic designers can help you zero in on the right look for your brand. They are experts who know how to convey feelings and concepts with images and colors.

What voice you want to speak with.

The final step is figuring out what you want your brand to sound like. This is called your brand voice.

Do you want a brand voice that is more casual and conversational? Do you want a brand voice that's authoritative and professional? Your target audience, UVP, and mission statement will all point towards the voice that will resonate most with your potential customers.

Once you have determined what you want your brand voice to be, it's very important that it remains consistent. Your customers will become accustomed to your brand voice and, if you deviate from it, it won't resonate as much or as well.


Featured Reading: The Killer Offer: Step 6 of 9 for Dominating Online


Conclusion

Establishing a strong, recognizable brand is the first step to dominating online. Your brand is something that can give you an edge by giving your potential customers a way to understand your business on what feels like a personal level. It gives them something to identify with and a way to differentiate you from your competitors.

For more ways to dominate online, check out our Blueprint for Online Excellence for more strategies to help you increase your online presence and effectiveness.

Thrive Design is a customer-centric web design and marketing company from Seattle. Contact us today to find out how we can elevate your business online! Find us on Clutch, UpCityLinkedInFacebook, and Twitter.

Thrive is a Seattle web design company focused on helping you grow. If you believe in what you do, have a proven offer, and would like to increase your online presence and authority, let’s chat.
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