by Francois Muscat | May 6, 2019 | Website Design
Nowadays, your web design needs to focus on giving online visitors the best possible experience. This means eye-catching graphics, easy navigation, faster loading times and content of a high quality. Unfortunately, not all of the current website design trends support this vision. Below, we take a look at three of them that you will definitely be much better off without:
Flash-Based Navigation
There are lots of different flash-based navigation menu templates to choose from when it comes to building a website, so it can be tempting to make use of them. However, flash-based navigation is exceptionally difficult to maintain (you will not be able to change it by simply editing a text file) and it is also bad for your SEO. Search engines simply cannot crawl flash files and this is bound to lead to a knock in rankings. Instead, build animated navigation menus with JavaScript for better results.
Image Sliders
Image sliders have become more and more popular over the years. Unfortunately, research has shown that they are actually responsible for a reduction in online conversions. This is mainly because they divide your visitor’s attention. People will only have a few seconds to think about a certain product because their attention will quickly be drawn to another one. This makes it less likely for them to make a positive buying decision. Also, eye tracking studies have shown that the human eye does not respond well to movement.
Fancy Page Dividers
This is a web design trend straight out of the 90s, but the reality is that there are still some websites out there that feature them. Think colourful horizontal bars used to break up text on a particularly content-heavy page. So not a good look. If you feel the need to break up your content, it may be a sign that you might need to add another web page instead.
Looking for a company specialising in web design and website development? WSI OMS is a digital marketing company with a difference. We also specialise in social media marketing, SEO and content marketing; we can help take your online game to new heights. Contact us today to find out more.
by Francois Muscat | May 6, 2019 | Digital Media Marketing
Branding is a crucial part of any business, but so many companies go about it the wrong way. In this blog post, we bust four top myths about business branding.
A Logo Is A Brand
Just because a logo is used on everything from website banners to business cards for instant public recognition, it doesn’t mean that the logo is your brand. Branding is done not just for recognition but also for creating an image or perception in consumers’ minds, for which a logo is not enough.
Branding Is A One-Time Thing
The process of brand building starts with brand strategy, but it never stops. Creating a differentiated position in consumers’ minds is an important part of branding that takes time, effort, and sometimes strategic and tactical changes.
Branding Just Means Consistency In Brand Design
Branding needs consistent visual language to unify all the various facets of a company. However, creating a brand is not purely down to visual language and branded assets. A brand, for instance, is also a tone of voice and how customer service is delivered. It is intangible, yet we notice it.
Branding Is The Responsibility Of The Marketing Team
Marketers strive to communicate with consumers to influence their brand image and strengthen brand differentiation. Branding, however, involves caring at every level, not just promoting promising marketing messages. When companies fail to treat their own people as important stakeholders, they are in a way making them unaccountable for delivering on the company’s brand promise.
by Francois Muscat | Apr 24, 2019 | Website Development
Gone are the days where a basic three-page website design was enough to impress potential and already-existing customers. Nowadays, it is all about artificial intelligence and maximising user experience from all sides. Below, we take a look at few must-haves in terms of website development, particularly for companies determined to stay ahead of the curve.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is a massive website development trend at the moment – and its popularity is set to grow exponentially over the next few years. We’re talking about chatbots, machine learning, voice search and more. The good news is that while AI is endlessly impressive, if you work with a great website development company, it doesn’t have to cost the earth.
Motion Design
Say goodbye to stagnant images and hello to 3D image viewing, animations, and illustration. The visual aspects are just as important (if not more so) than the text aspects of your website, and they are the best possible tools to grab and keep a visitor’s attention. So don’t be afraid to let your website development partner get creative! Just remember to keep an eye on page loading times. Which brings us to…
Accelerated Mobile Pages
Backed up by Google, accelerated mobiles pages – also known as AMPs – are a must for companies looking to boost user experience, particularly when browsing using mobile devices. AMPs speed up the loading time of web pages, which is excellent considering people tend to click away if a page takes longer than three seconds to load.
When it comes to website development and up-to-date trends, the WSI OMS has got your business covered. We specialise in all aspects of website development to help transform your website into your most powerful marketing tool. Other services include social media marketing, content marketing, mobile marketing, and website design. For more information, do not hesitate to get in touch.
by Francois Muscat | Apr 19, 2019 | Visual Marketing
Think about your own experiences on social media. How many posts which include paragraphs of content do you take the time to read? How many short and snappy posts with amazing imagery grab your attention? It is a fact that quality images are key to social media marketing success. The following stats will demonstrate why…
They Generate More Engagement
The proof is in the pudding. According to research, posts which include images perform better on all social media platforms. Tweets with images tend to get 150% more retweets, infographics are liked and shared three times more and Facebook posts that include images also tend to get 2.3 times more engagement. This is also true for content on your website. In an analysis of over 1 million articles, BuzzSumo discovered that articles that included an image once every 75-100 words received double the social media shares when compared to articles of the same length which included fewer images.
Our Brains Are Wired that Way
Our brains are more likely to react positively when presented with an image, as opposed to text. In fact, the brain processes images 60 000 times faster than text and research has shown that people retain data for at least three days when it has been paired with an image.
They’re Proven to Hold Attention
According to eye tracking studies, people browsing the internet spend a lot more time looking at images than they do looking at text.
The social media marketing experts at WSI OMS are here to help you achieve maximum social media success when it comes to visibility, engagement and online reputation in general. As leading specialists in content marketing, mobile marketing, social media marketing, website design, and website development, we are your all-in-one digital marketing solution. Get in touch now to learn more about our range of services.
by Francois Muscat | Apr 17, 2019 | Blogging
Before a software product is released, it has to be tested so that problems can be picked up and fixed. Without this type of software testing, users will encounter problems and become unhappy.
Inspired Testing recently published a series of articles on the often-confusing topic of software testing. From the basics and types of software testing to the core terminologies in software testing, you will have all your questions answered.
Making Sure Software Is Fit for Purpose
Software has to be fit for the purpose that it is going to be used for. Some of the questions that the software testing process needs to answer include the following:
- Does the software meet the requirements fully and correctly?
- Does it work correctly? Do all features work?
- Are there defects in the software?
- What is the quality of the software?
- What is the overall risk if the software is live?
Agile Testing
Many people in the software development industry have heard of Agile, which is a method of developing software that your organisation can learn. Agile is a set of values and principles. Much of the discussion around Agile has to do with following different practices using various methodologies and developing specific tools. While tools might help a team who is trying to follow Agile, they are Agile because of the way they work together, both with clients and other stakeholders in the business.
Inspired Testing uses an Agile approach as it allows them to make hundreds of decisions each week in a collaborative way. The company’s software testers also make use of test cases and use cases to pick up bugs and gain insights about the software they are developing.
In the software development process, a bug or defect has a life cycle. The defect needs to go through the life cycle in order to be fixed and closed. Inspired testing follows a standard defect analysis process to make sure problems aren’t repeated and that the process cycle time improves.
Launching new products in the market requires a long list of software testing practices. From setting up coverage matrixes to make sure that a piece of software has been thoroughly tested to automating certain software testing tasks, performance testing, regression testing and usability testing, partner with them to set up a test plan that will give your software the best chance of success.
