Mobile & Responsive Designs
Here’s an interesting statistic that may (or may not) surprise you. As of 2012, Canada exceeded 20-million cell phone users aged 13 and older, and 8-million of those were smartphones. When we combine this with the large number of tablets already in use (1 in 4 Canadians now own a tablet), not to mention how affordable tablets have become, we can certainly understand how mobile internet browsing has grown exponentially over the last few years.
Still, many businesses overlook these statistics when planning their web design projects, and often consider mobile compatibility a secondary priority, if it’s even on their radar at all. Understanding how mobile users will interact with your Website on a 3.5″ screen, for example, should be a critical design planning element, and we recommend asking your web designer specifically about mobile compatibility or responsive layouts.
WordPress Orientation & Support
So you finally have your website built, it’s everything you dreamed of, but wait – you want to make a few changes to some of the content, or perhaps you feel inspired enough to add a couple of pages -how do you do that? Managing and regularly updating content on your website will go a long way in improving your user experience and ensuring that you are using your site as an effective web marketing tool.
For this reason, all of our projects include a 30-minute CMS (content management system) orientation and a 60-day warranty period, designed to help beginners understand how to interact with their website’s back end. After all, simple updates and content changes shouldn’t be met with long waits and costly hourly rates.
Does Every Business Need a Website?
Every web developer will tell you the answer to that question is easily “yes”. Yet, a website won’t make or break every business model and there are many examples in Kelowna of thriving businesses that don’t have a web presence at all. Think of all of the shops you frequent and products that you purchase, without ever having looked these up online.
In some other cases, a business can certainly get by or do reasonably well without having a website, but may be missing additional revenue opportunities that are significant. Having a website is a great way to make contact with new clients, generate leads, and ultimately sales. Whether your site is old and doesn’t convert browsers into buyers, or you have no online presence whatsoever, strengthening this marketing arm is a big plus and if executed the right way and can be a huge competitive advantage.
Consider a website as a means to retain your existing clientele, at very minimum. According to Statistics Canada, the average business will lose 15% of its customer base each and every year. Some of your clients decide they’ve had enough of you and go to your competitor; some leave your coverage area; while others have a change in lifestyle and no longer need your product or service, and yes, some even pass away. Because Canadian business owners are constantly battling to minimize this inevitable loss, paddling upstream to show revenue growth beyond this gap can be that much tougher. Opening new doors for new and existing clients to access your business and information becomes even more critical.