Blair Stover Designs

Social media trends come and go, but the overall social world seems to tend toward more visuals and fewer printed words as time passes and technology changes. Certainly, the ability to include complicated graphics and clear photos has something to do with the trend. But there’s more to it than that. Some social network apps fizzle while others prosper, and their fates often are tied to some combination of graphics, ease-of-use, and relevance.

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 09: In this photo illustration, the photo-sharing app Instagram fan page is seen on the Facebook website on the Apple Safari web browser on April 9, 2012 in New York City. Facebook Inc. is acquiring photo-sharing app Instagram for approx. $1 billion. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Infographics and photo sharing are the two biggest rages in commercial marketing, virtually changing the way companies do business with each other and advertise to consumers. Infographics, the offspring of user-friendly charts and creative design, are a direct way to engage viewers with easy to understand drawings, photos, diagrams, and minimal use of print. In fact, the printed word is used only where necessary.

Photo sharing sites have been around as long as the internet but are just now coming into their own due to a perfect storm of technology, public acceptance, and usefulness. Some of the early photo sites and apps were purely recreational, of the “here’s my new cat, isn’t she cute” variety. Now, marketing gurus have latched onto the web’s inherent knack for transmitting visual data at lightning speed and are leveraging photo sharing, tagging, and morphing for reasons that have to do with expanding the customer base.

A drawback of such apps, like Instagram for example, is that images must be uploaded on proprietary software. If the images show up on a tiny screen, almost all the potential impact is immediately lost. Users who add a caption to every image automatically give themselves a leg up, since cross-posting will allow users to see an informative caption when they scroll through the list.

The new photo apps are still in their infancy in most cases. Ten years from now, people will likely read this post and shake their heads in disbelief, saying, “Wow, back in 2012 nobody had any idea where this was all headed.” Such is progress.

Related articles

• Review: Warming up to photo-sharing app Instagram (sfgate.com)
• Facebook Buys Instagram: The Facts (ANIMATED INFOGRAPHIC) (blippitt.com)

It seems easy to get faster Internet connection capability. However, website developers do not seem to be focusing on creating pages with faster load times. With all the extras that can be added onto a webpage, the load time can be greatly affected, even with fast Internet capabilities. One key point to keeping online customers happy will be, however, having the extras and that faster load times.

User experience is enhanced with faster pages. Consumers do notice slow page load times, even if it is only subconsciously. Unfortunately, page loading times are usually subconsciously and consciously noticed if they are slow. Google has indicated that they consider load times when indexing Adwords pages, therefore, this could be a factor in site rankings. Finally, slow pages lose money because frustrated users will navigate away from slow loading webpages.

The webpage analyzer is one tool you can use to check for general errors and the overall health of your site. This health check is in terms of load times. You can get such information as total file size, the number of scripts you have, and other load time factors.

Another great tool is a site called Pingdom. This site will check your site for broken paths and images. This includes loading time for the scripts and images within your website. If your site has broken images and paths, it could greatly affect your load time. The different stages of loading are also able to be seen through this website.

Finding images out on the web can slow your webpage load time down. By putting images on your own server, such as Flickr, load time is reduced as the browser does not have to travel to download the images.

Smart businesses have branched their marketing strategies out to advertisements, Twitter, and Facebook. However, this does not mean that your company website can stand to be ignored. Beginners in web design should take advantage of top web design software that will walk them through the necessary steps for a fantastic web page. Look for a program that has the right features for your needs.

First, you will need to know if you will be working in CSS3 or HTML5. Flash is pretty much a thing of the past and is expected to become non-existent this year. Looking for Flash capabilities would be a waste of time and resources. Focus on CSS3 or HTML. Furthermore, consider mobile capabilities. Mobile technology is imperative as this year will see many searches from mobile devices.

Look for rollover creation in the software you choose. This tool will enable an effect once a person places their mouse over a key graphic or button on your website. This is important because it gives your potential clients an interactive sensation as they browse your company page.

This upcoming year, 3D capabilities will be more utilized than in the past. 3D was seen somewhat this past year but is expected to grow. Your website may seem dated without it. Luckily, this is an easy effect to create.

Getting your website to the top of the search engine page is key. You will want to focus on linking and keywords for this. Look for a software design that has this feature. Many will enable you to go into HTML code so that you can add specific keywords. This will remain as important as it has been in the past year.

By making a few simple tweaks this Christmas season, you can intertwine a little holiday magic into your website. As you begin to lay out your holiday designs, think like Santa. Consider what you can offer as a ‘gift’ to each visitor to your site. This can be in the format of a coupon or special discount. Do you want to offer this to existing clients or potential customers? Consider a change in your coupon delivery system or SEO.

If you do not yet have a website, you may be missing out on the inflated earning potential of the holiday season. If could be worth hiring a web designer or development company to create a website. To make your Christmas earning potential its best, you will want to add some holiday magic to your web design. This can be done by adding some simple changes to enhance a seasonal mood.

To make your website Christmas-friendly, start by adding some Christmas color to dazzle your visitors. Stick to the traditional primary colors of green, white, red and gold. These colors cast an instant Christmas spell in shoppers.

Next, position some banners or animation throughout your webpage. These will act as Christmas ads. Thus, visitors may be positively attracted to your site throughout the season. Having an experienced web design company assist you in this is beneficial.

There are those who feel they cannot tamper with their company logos. However, a little play in your logo can add a lot of Christmas flair to your website. By simply adding a bit of holly or jingle bells to your logo, you will make your whole site more festive.

Your business should make easy changes to its web design. This keeps your website looking fresh and up-to-date. Several of the current trends are easy to implement yourself, making giving your webpage a facelift simple.

In the past year, the web industry has seen revolutionary changes. These numerous changes are setting the tone for the web’s future. To ready your business for the future, you need to be implementing the changes that web users will soon come to expect.

With web-friendly mobile devices becoming more prominent, businesses should be aware that Flash is not always compatible. As Flash has been a major part of web functionality, it may be time to consider other methods. The web is moving toward CSS3 and HTML5 at a fast pace. These are great ways to enhance your website with design elements which are more updated. Also, along with mobile compatibility, you can offer interactivity to your consumers and faster loading times.

Other trends to be aware of include touch screen compatibility, 3D, videos and QR codes. Touch screen compatibility and mobile compatibility go hand in hand. Your site will need to be updated to allow for such interactions. 3D websites are not here as of yet, but they are on their way. Adding dimension to your website will keep the look of your webpage on the cutting edge. HTML5 video allows video marketing to reach your mobile clientele. QR (Quick Response) Codes allow your customers to take a picture of a code, using their smartphone. Then, the smartphone will open the website of the advertiser.

Many small and new businesses have turned to the Internet to boost business. In this day and age, it would be ridiculous to ignore this type of marketing. Fashioning a web page is an amazing way to reach massive amounts of potential clients as well as keep your business up to date and fresh. And, as many small business operators and entrepreneurs have come to realize, having a webpage for your business is not exactly an option. In order to a small business to survive, a website is a must and is essential in order to reach clientele and put the word out about what your business offers.

With the amount of online shoppers around the world, a business would be missing a gigantic opportunity for sales by not creating a website. A website can open the doors of a business to those who may have never otherwise walked through.

Aside from online shoppers, businesses need to cater to the online researchers. Many customers make their decisions while researching companies online before going into a store to purchase products and services. Therefore, a website needs to be quite informative about a business and their products or services.

To meet all of these needs and demands of the consumer, a business must make sure their website has it all. Decide where the best place to put your website is. This entails choosing a commercial website host to find a space to rent. Your site also needs to be developed. Unless you have the skills, leave this to a professional, as your customers will expect a professional looking website. Anything else will not earn their trust.

Next, provide content that your viewers will be looking for. Lastly, consider how to increase your sells with impulse buys, browsing options and add-on sales.

Having a great webpage is the first of many important steps into marketing your small business to the world via the Internet. So don’t hesitate when planning your budget and design for your website – it will be worth it!

Building up a web site is tough. Web site competition can be staggering and there are seemingly endless page finds that occur when using a search engine for any topic. Key words are one proven tool used to build up a website.

Site visitors are brought in by key words. These visitors make up your largest profit building relationships. Making use of a trustworthy Search Phrases Tool, you can target keyword phrases which posses a huge number of site visitors. By doing so, you can really compose your site, making it worthwhile to ranking on search engines such as Google. A fantastic key word can set you apart from the competition, especially if you find a strong key word with minimal competition.

In order to keep a solid stream of visitors stopping by your site, key words are imperative. As  your potential site visitors utilize the Google search engine, finding those magical key words will reel them in to your site.

Google can be further made use of through Web Optimizations. Through Web Optimization, suitable articles, targeting your specific key words, can be accumulated in addition to this web pages can be used in reference to your targeted key words. Finally, niche categories can also be employed as an orientation to your targeted key words.

Rather than play guessing games with the future of your website, consider making use of proven tactics when utilizing key words and making them work for you. By means of key words, many sites have boosted visitors, in turn building reoccurring revenue.

Numerous businesses are making use of social media to promote their business online with Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook being the most popular social media sites utilized. These sites can really help a small company in their marketing campaigns. Some strategies, however, are more effective than others.

Creating a unique engine to use when on a social media site will make or break this aspect of your campaign. Viewers’ attention must be grabbed through ‘posts’ which are timed well. In addition to this, these ‘posts’ need be intriguing and of interest. By doing so, current customers may be inclined to respond to these posts, potentially grabbing the interest of their friends and building your customer base.

One way to achieve the aforementioned is through offering Internet-only specials. This can help build up frequency of visitors to your website. When using Facebook, your website can post “Events” and invite all of the websites “friends” to attend.

This is a fabulous way to promote a various types of businesses. For instance, you could have a Buy One, Get One Free Event, a special guest speaker Event, a gallery viewing Event, and so on. This can also be an amazing opportunity to educate your clients on services and products you offer.

Keep content and posts recent and unique. Consider your audience. You will want to avoid them becoming tired of the same old thing from your website and losing interest. This is where you will want to make use of the passion which created your website. Inspire your clients, and keep them coming.