Web Design

16 September 2020

Thinking About Redesigning Your Website?

Many businesses and organizations start to think about redesigning their websites now so they can have brand new sites for the new year. Here are some things to think about before embarking on this endeavor:

Do you really need to redesign your website? Not everyone needs a redesign. If you and your website users are happy with the look and functionality, then the website serves its purpose.
What exactly is the problem with your current website? Are users complaining about site navigation? Maybe the homepage is too busy, or the site has too many dark colors. Now is a good time to do a content audit, document the problems, and what you envision the solutions would look like.
Can you afford to do a redesign? This is something you have to put a lot of thought into before embarking on a redesign. If you have to hire a web designer, depending on what your redesign requirements are, it can be very expensive if you don’t have a budget set aside already for website maintenance. Even if you redesign the website yourself, you might lose money because it takes away your time from what would otherwise be used to run your business.
Are you re-branding your organization? If so, do you need a new logo or color scheme? Are you selling a new product or providing a new service? What is the new organizational messaging that you need to be reflected in a new website? An organizational website should accurately reflect what is going on in the company right now.
Are you changing your content strategy? Will you integrate social media into your website? How about a blog or a video strategy? Do you want to put testimonials from satisfied customers or supporters on it? Who is going to create new content and how often?
What is your competition doing? It is always a good idea to check in with your competition to see what they are doing and see how you can one-up them in doing something uniquely different.

3 October 2018

Differences Between Web Designers and Web Developers

Talia Whyte Global Wire Associates, Web Design

Web designers and web developers serve two very distinct, but important roles in making a website. Let’s first define what the two do. A web designer is responsible for the design and layout of the website, or the client/user side of the site. Good web designers not only know about the basic principles of web design and typography, but also a good understanding of user experience design (UX), content strategy, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, and computer networking. A web developer is responsible for programming the code in the back-end of the website. They build and maintain the website’s databases and other applications on the web server. Experienced web developers should have advanced knowledge in many server-side scripting programs like Java, ASP.NET, Perl, PHP, MySQL, Python etc.

To put it into a different context, let’s think of a car. Web designers are in charge of how the car looks and feels, such as the color and design inside and outside, the shape and comfort of the car seats, the texture and use of the steering wheel and even the smell of the car. Web developers deal with how the car functions, like making sure the engine works in relation to the steering wheel, brakes, and the gas tank, fixing a bad muffler and even making sure the radio works.

In today’s competitive job market, most web designers and developers have to be well-rounded and know how to do a little of everything. It is not hard to find designers who can code Ruby on Rails or developers who can make graphics in Photoshop. The line has blurred so much that many job descriptions in the wanted ads these days are looking for “web designer/developer.” In most design firms, designers and developers are working together on building sites for customers. The designer will come up with the site’s concept and layout and then give it over to the developer to build the server framework for it. For bigger projects, the designer and the developer might work with a graphic designer and a project manager for added support. In larger companies, there may be a whole department of designers and developers who are in charge of running the organization’s web presence.

However, most small businesses and nonprofits don’t usually have the funds to employ a whole staff of web professionals, so they outsource their website projects to either a design firm or a freelance web designer or developer. Sometimes freelance designers and developers work on projects together to compensate for the other’s lack of skill in a particular area in building the site. With that said, before you hire a web professional to build your site, you need to know what you want the website to do for you and your organization. Will you be selling goods and/or services (e-commerce) or fundraising on the site? Do you want people to be able to sign up for events on the site? Do you need a website that self-hosts multimedia tools for photography, graphics, audio or video? Do you want a website that easily enhances your brand with a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy? Do you want a website that integrates with a social media strategy? Do you want a website that you can do basic maintenance with after it’s built, or do you want to keep on the designer/developer that you pay to do regular maintenance long term? Do you need a website that looks great on both a desktop and a mobile device?

Once you know what you want in a website, it makes it easier to search for the right person to build your site. When you interview prospective hires, ask them if they have the abilities and skills to create the website you want. Ask to see their portfolio. Do they have examples of websites they built that you would like to emulate in your website? A good sign that you are hiring the right person for the job is by not only seeing their previous client work but also how their own website looks. Does their website look well maintained and professional? You should also ask for references and take into consideration how much you are willing to spend on building the website. Keep in mind that the more complicated your website is, such as having dynamic multimedia or e-commerce, the more money you’ll need to spend. Such applications can take up a lot of time to build, and a designer or developer will want to be compensated appropriately.

If you are looking to build a new website, let me know!

13 April 2016

Time To Do a Spring Content Audit

Talia Whyte Global Wire Associates, Web Design web accessiblity

Spring is here, and it is time to do some cleaning, and I am not just talking about around your house. Now is a great time to do an inventory on your online presence by doing a content audit.

What is a content audit?

No, a content audit has nothing to do with your taxes. Rather, it is an inventory check of the content on your website, social media or other online platforms.

Why would I want to do a content audit?

The main purpose of having a content strategy is to make sure the information you are presenting online is consistent with your organizational messaging and brand identity. It’s a good idea to do audits to keep your content on point.

What things should I be looking for in a content audit?

This depends largely on what the goals are behind your content strategy. An audit can be an inventory of your whole website, or certain parts of it. Some audits might just look at the effectiveness of your email newsletter or social media strategies. There is also something called content sampling, where you randomly select content on your website to review.

How exactly do you conduct a content audit?

In the simplest fashion by using a spreadsheet, a basic audit for a website will include columns for the following: Page Title, Page URL, Keywords/SEO, Description, Date Published and Audit Date. There you want to go through your website and fill in the rows with the metrics you are auditing. If you use a web traffic reporting tool like Google Analytics or Hootsuite, you would need to match the traffic with the pages.

You will spend your time reviewing the conversion rates and content for your pages on the spreadsheet. Specifically:

What are the web pages or links with the most or least traffic?
Are images easy to view and tagged correctly?
Is your content up to date?
Are pages meeting the standards for web accessibility?
Are blog posts written with proper grammar and appropriately embedded SEO keywords?
Do you need a redesign of your website?
Are your email and social media outreach consistent with content posted on your website?
Can some content be repurposed on other platforms?
Should you stop using a certain platform if it isn’t giving you the needed results?
Etc… other content questions specific to your audit

Now would be a good time to correct and/or delete any content that no longer serve your purposes. Depending on how much content you are reviewing, like a website with hundreds or even thousands of pages, the process might take a while and you will need to get your co-workers or colleagues to help you.

How often should I do a content audit?

It depends on what your content strategy looks like. Most people do it quarterly or annually to coincide with company financial and marketing reporting. Others do it monthly or even weekly. No matter how often you do an audit, it is always a good idea to review how your content strategy is working for you.

I still need help with doing a content audit

You can contact me or my staff at Global Wire Design about getting further assistance with a content strategy and audit or web design and marketing support. We are hosting an “Extreme Website Makeover” on 14 May where we will showcase a “before and after” of two websites we redesigned recently. Space is limited and priority will be given to current and past GWA clients, so sign up now at info(at)globalwireonline(dot)org.

6 January 2016

10 Things You Need To Create A Successful Website

Talia Whyte Web Design new digital you, new year

This week over at Global Wire Associates, we launched our annual New Year, New Digital You campaign. Now is a great time to design or redesign your website. Many clients that approach us don’t usually have any idea what it takes to create a website. This Saturday we are hosting our ever-popular “Extreme Website Makeover” webinar, where we showcase a “before and after” of two websites we redesigned recently, as well as give tips on how to create a new website or redesign a current website.

In the meantime, I created this quick checklist of issues to consider when you hire a web designer. It also makes my life easier when clients think about these things before embarking on a design project.

Title for the domain name: If you are starting a new business, you already know that the company title is very important. The domain should be the same as your company name. If it isn’t available, make sure the domain name closely reflects your brand and is easy to remember by users.

Purpose/Mission: What is the mission or purpose of the website? To advertise products or services? Expand your brand? Increase conversion rates?

Content: I say this all the time: It really doesn’t matter how fabulous you website looks or how many social media tools you use. If you don’t have great content on your sites, most people will not only not care about your web presence, but they will also not care to learn more about you or your organization. Having high quality content on your web presence is a top priority for establishing both your credibility and your brand.

Audience: Who are you trying to reach with your website? When you know who your audience is, it is easier to build content and a website to cater to their needs.

Competitive Advantage: What makes your website different from your competitors? The best websites are those that are unique and stand out from others.

Responsive Design: A responsive website adjusts to different browser screen sizes, rather than to different devices, without compromising the quality of the content and site design. Over half of all web traffic comes from mobiles and tablets today. Most importantly, today’s users expect your website to be mobile-friendly.

Fonts: Are you using legible fonts? Typography is very important today. Most users don’t stay long on a website where the content is hard to read.

Colors and Layout: The look and feel makes a difference in how users react to your website. Whatever color and layout your choose, make sure it is simple, professional and easy to navigate.

Advertising: Do you plan to sell advertising space on your website? If so, be conscious of how it affects the look and feel of your website. Too many ads might turn off users? Ever heard of AdBlock?

Ecommerce: If you plan on selling products or services online, make sure you have a complete ecommerce plan that includes how you will handle fulfillment and security matters.

Again, this is just a quick list to help get your started. If you have any further questions, contact us!

Happy New Digital You!

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