FYI: Everything's going digital, there's no turning back. 85% of your potential customers are checking out your website on a hand held, mobile device such as a cell phone, I - Pad, notebook or tablet.
Frankly speaking, if you don't have a website at all... your business may be perceived as a scam having no credibility because perhaps you have something to hide, as unsuccessful or plain old unworthy of a potential customer's time and patronage. Not good for business!
Customers today, like to browse your website and learn a bit about you, your products or services before doing business with you.
Okay, your current site served you well in the past, but... If you've got an old, obsolete, static website that looks great on a desktop or laptop but does not adjust to whatever mobile device it is viewed on today...
Chances are that potential customer is going elsewhere to do business. That boils down to, NEXT!
The perception is that you're business is dragging behind the times or maybe you're going out of business or something.
In addition to building awesome, Responsive websites, we provide SEO services, Website Hosting and Maintenance, Google Marketing/Adwords, Management, E-Mail Marketing Campaigns, Graphic Design Services, Retarget Marketing, Facebook Page Management, Youtube Video Ads and more. Let Krea-tek E-Marketing Group take care of ALL your online marketing needs.
The fact is, your new website is only the beginning or first step toward developing an Online-Revenue-Generating-System. To receive a comprhensive needs assessment, complete our form and Give Us A Call.
Have you asked yourself, “What is responsive web design?” Responsive web design is an approach whereby a designer creates a web page that “responds to” or resizes itself depending on the type of device it is being seen through. That could be an oversized desktop computer monitor, a laptop or devices with small screens such as smartphones and tablets. Responsive Web design has become an essential tool for anyone with a digital presence. With the growth of smartphones, tablets and other mobile computing devices, more people are using smaller-screens to view web pages.
These websites have to also consider the mobile-first index just announced by Google in April 2018. As more small businesses increase their mobile presence, their website, eCommerce, Google Business page, social media pages and other assets have to be easily accessible across all devices.
The purpose of responsive design is to have one site, but with different elements that respond differently when viewed on devices of different sizes.
Let’s take a traditional “fixed” website. When viewed on a desktop computer, for instance, the website might show three columns. But when you view that same layout on a smaller tablet, it might force you to scroll horizontally, something users don’t like. Or elements might be hidden from view or look distorted. The impact is also complicated by the fact that many tablets can be viewed either in portrait orientation or turned sideways for landscape view.
On a tiny smartphone screen, websites can be even more challenging to see. Large images may “break” the layout. Sites can be slow to load on smartphones if they are graphics heavy.
However, if a site uses responsive design, the tablet version might automatically adjust to display just two columns. That way, the content is readable and easy to navigate. On a smartphone, the content might appear as a single column, perhaps stacked vertically. Or possibly the user would have the ability to swipe over to view other columns. Images will resize instead of distorting the layout or getting cut off.
The point is: with responsive design, the website automatically adjusts based on the device the viewer sees it in.
Do you know what a 'landing page' is and have you implemented one yet? If you haven't, let's explore what a landing page is, how it works and what your options are for getting started with them. After all, landing pages are a valuable tool for lead generation and one that ~67% of medium-size companies regularly implement.
In online marketing, a landing page, sometimes known as a "lead capture page", "static page", or a "destination page", is a single web page that appears in response to clicking on a search engine optimized search result, marketing promotion, marketing email, or an online advertisement. The landing page will usually display directed sales copy that is a logical extension of the advertisement, search result or link. Landing pages are used for lead generation. The actions that a visitor takes on a landing page is what determines an advertiser's conversion rate.
Landing pages are often linked to social media, e-mail campaigns or search engine marketing campaigns in order to enhance the effectiveness of the advertisements. The general goal of a landing page is to convert site visitors into sales or leads. If the goal is to obtain a lead, the landing page will include some method for the visitor to get into contact with the company, usually a phone number, or an inquiry form. If a sale is required, the landing page will usually have a link for the visitor to click, which will then send them to a shopping cart or a checkout area. By analyzing activity generated by the linked URL, marketers can use click-through rates and conversion rate to determine the success of an advertisement.
Social media is computer-based technology which facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts, and information through the building of virtual networks and communities. By design, social media is internet-based and gives users quick electronic communication of content.
Here are some prominent examples of social media:
Facebook is a popular free social networking website that allows registered users to create profiles, upload photos and video, send messages and keep in touch with friends, family and colleagues.
Twitter is a free microblogging service that allows registered members to broadcast short posts called tweets. Twitter members can broadcast tweets and follow other users' tweets by using multiple platforms and devices.
Google+ (pronounced Google plus) was Google's social networking project, designed to replicate the way people interact offline more closely than is the case in other social networking services. This website is no longer offered to new users and plans to shut down remaining accounts in 2019.
Wikipedia is a free, open content online encyclopedia created through the collaborative effort of a community of users known as Wikipedians. Anyone registered on the site can create an article for publication; however, registration is not required to edit articles. Wikipedia was founded in January of 2001.
LinkedIn is a social networking site designed specifically for the business community. The goal of the site is to allow registered members to establish and document networks of people they know and trust professionally.
Reddit is a social news website and forum where stories are socially curated and promoted by site members. The site is composed of hundreds of sub-communities, known as "subreddits." Each subreddit has a specific topic such as technology, politics or music. Reddit site members, also known as, "redditors," submit content which is then voted upon by other members. The goal is to send well-regarded stories to the top of the site's main thread page.
Pinterest is a social curation website for sharing and categorizing images found online. Pinterest requires brief descriptions but the main focus of the site is visual. Clicking on an image will take you to the original source. For example, clicking on a picture of a pair of shoes might redirect users to a purchasing site and an image of blueberry pancakes might redirect to the recipe.
Video advertising encompasses online display advertisements that have video within them.
One really good reason to add video and a YouTube channel to your site is to give the audience more content. When people get a lot of good content that is solving their problems, they stay longer and like to come back and visit more often. A nice side effect of adding the extra content is that it drives more traffic. People can now find you on YouTube and on your site. Right now, we still drive more traffic from our site to the YouTube channel than the other way around, but we are starting to see some come the other way. In the beginning, if you only have a food blog, this will probably be your results as well, especially if you start putting videos on your most trafficked posts like we did. Another cool side effect is it grows your brand. Having video someplace else gets your brand out there in another location which starts to grow the level of awareness and expertise that you have.
One thing we have noticed with video is it encourages a level of familiarity that helps with building a community. You can create a much more personal connection with people and let them get to know you and see how you act/react to certain situations. There is something about watching a video where you can feel like you are with somebody working on a problem or, in our case, cooking :). The people I trust and like learning from usually have video and I like learning and engaging in that manner.
Video is just so hot right now! One of the big reasons we started adding video is we felt like it was a good way to start standing out. While a lot of bloggers have already gotten into the video niche and there are a bunch of people making a living with their Youtube channels alone right now, we felt like there weren’t a lot of food bloggers with photos and video. We saw people doing the photos or the video but not a lot doing both.
Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. They develop the overall layout and production design for various applications such as advertisements, brochures, magazines, and corporate reports.
Graphic design uses visual compositions to solve problems and communicate ideas through typography, imagery, color and form. There’s no one way to do that, and that’s why there are several types of graphic design, each with their own area of specialization.
Though they often overlap, each type of graphic design requires specific set of skills and design techniques. Many designers specialize in a single type; others focus on a set of related, similar types. But because the industry is constantly changing, designers must be adaptable and lifelong learners so they can change or add specializations throughout their careers.
Whether you are an aspiring designer or seeking design services for your business, understanding the type of graphic design you need for your business will help you find the right skills for the job.
1. Visual identity graphic design
A brand is a relationship between a business or organization and its audience. A brand identity is how the organization communicates its personality, tone and essence, as well as memories, emotions and experiences. Visual identity graphic design is exactly that: the visual elements of brand identity that act as the face of a brand to communicate those intangible qualities through images, shapes and color. Designers that specialize in visual identity graphic design collaborate with brand stakeholders to create assets like logos, typography, color palettes and image libraries that represent a brand’s personality. In addition to the standard business cards and corporate stationary, designers often develop a set of visual brand guidelines (style guides) that describe best practices and provide examples of visual branding applied across various media. These guidelines help to ensure brand consistency throughout future applications.