by Marelise da Silva | Dec 30, 2016 | Website Development
Do you have a website and social media pages that just aren’t performing? The point of these platforms is to boost sales, engage with consumers and ensure that your business’ image can grow along with your services and products range. If you are hoping that your business website will perform online, you must work with the pros in the field. Many people claim to be web designers, but not all are professional, qualified, skilled, and experienced web developers. Web development is not simply the art of piecing together a good-looking website. It involves a whole scope of services which include, but aren’t limited to the following:
- Website construction / design.
- Content creation / copywriting.
- Website design and content optimization for search engines.
- Social media marketing and integration.
- Mobile marketing.
- Search engine advertising.
- Email marketing.
- Creating and managing online competitions and promotions.
As you can imagine, web development requires a great deal of industry knowledge and should only be trusted to online marketing agencies and firms that have the experience and a qualified team offering services.
Over the years, web development trends change as search engines change their requirements and online consumers become more demanding and expectant. It’s important to work with an advertising team that can keep up with the latest trends and truly cater to the needs and requirements of the online community.
Web development and online marketing services offered by WSI OMS
At WSI OMS we present you with a variety of web development and online marketing services. We are truly in touch with the latest online marketing must-haves and can use our many years of expertise in the field to ensure that your website isn’t just a website – it’s a true asset to your business. For more information and advice on our professional web development and online marketing services, simply contact us via email or telephone at WSI OMS today.
by Marelise da Silva | Jul 28, 2016 | Website Content, Website Design, Website Development, Website Optimization
More than ever, people go online to find out information about products, services, information and reputation checks before committing to a purchase. Every business understands the importance of having a website that fulfills these needs, but don’t always get it right. You need to take a hard look at your website, to see if you’re getting the most out of it and think about fixing it if you are not. It could mean a simple fix, or perhaps a complete revamp, but before you decide what route to take, ask yourself these five questions:
1. What is wrong with my current website?
Ask your customers or friends who are far enough removed from your business to give you an honest opinion of your website and its functionality. Get reviews of your site and use analytics to determine which are your most viewed pages. Customers who spend a lot of time online, can give you insights into what your site may be missing or doing wrong.
2. What are the goals of the redesign?
Think carefully if your website need refreshing, or if you are looking to rebrand your whole company – there’s a big difference. Websites do go out of style, so a visuals upgrade could be all it takes to keep people visiting your site. Remember to set goals and time frames for a redesign.
3. What are some features I want to include this time round?
Do your research of other websites and see what you like in terms of look and feel, as well as what works for navigation. Not all the features you like may be suitable for your company’s product, or be what your customers are looking for. Check out your competitor’s websites and note which ones rank high for SEO and have high levels of engagement. Try not to copy outright – rather go beyond what other sites are doing.
4. Has my product or service offering changed?
If the nature of your product or service offering has changed since your first website launch, use the opportunity to update your site while revealing product changes. Customers will respond well to a revamp, as it shows you are staying relevant and keeping up with trends. Be sure to include social media icons.
5. How do I want the website to function?
Think of the specifics – do you want your website to be more content or information based, or is it about generating more leads? Do you want to drive sales, or bring customers to your physical location? Once you’ve determined this, the redesign can specifically focus on these areas.
There’s a lot to think about when going through a website revamp or overhaul, so make sure you’ve thought about everything before you commit to a big change. Don’t waste time and money by entering into something that won’t make a significant difference to your business.
If you are looking to rethink your website and would like some advice on current trends as well as use our experience into what works well, contact us. We have a range of digital marketing solutions to look at before any redesign takes place.
by Marelise da Silva | Mar 17, 2016 | Website Development, Website Optimization
A website is often the first point of contact for a customer, so it goes without saying that it needs to be functional, informative and impressive. Designing a website can be an intimidating task, especially with all the considerations that need to be put into place to keep it current. You can design your own site, or use the services of professionals, or do a combination of both.
There are a number of points you need to consider when designing a new website, or even updating an old one. An obvious staring point is the graphic design and layout – the design really needs to be as unique as your brand, products and services, while reflecting your company culture – a pretty tall order. It’s worth using the services of a graphic designer with web design experience here; they’ll know what is possible and advise you against features that may slow it down.
The website performance is a biggie – waiting for a website to load is painful, as is being asked to load a 3rd party application in order to view the website. Today’s web surfers are in a hurry, so your website should load in three seconds or less. The user interface is another aspect to examine carefully – the end user should be able to reach the desired page or content in no more than three clicks. Understanding how people use the internet will guide the user interface design.
The content is a part where you can contribute, if you have the writing skills needed. Content that answers questions in a clear and compelling way beats pages of waffle any day. Your content should be unique, not copied from someone else’s page and should engage the reader from the first line. The information architecture is a key feature of your website design, determining how your content and the internet work together.
Security is not to be ignored, especially if you sell products or services over the internet. Protect yourself and your customers from potential fraud law suits by ensuring your security is what it needs to be. This is something that needs to reviewed regularly – it’s not a once-off thing.
Responsive design is an absolute must, since mobile device use accounts for about half of all internet traffic. Make sure your website works on all devices, or you’ll lose business to a competitor who does have responsive design. SEO practices must be followed too.
You also need to look at scalability – will your website design be able to keep up with the growth or evolution of your business? Many businesses update their websites annually, to keep them fresh, appealing and relevant. Think about if your design with have longevity, or if you will start from scratch each time you update.
For more information on our website design services, contact us. We’d love to see what we can create with you, to exceed your website expectation. With an individual approach to each design, we take the time to understand our clients’ needs and businesses.
by Marelise da Silva | Nov 19, 2015 | Website Optimization, Website Development
It’s normal to need more hands-on management as the business grows, given that you can’t do everything by yourself with a bigger business to manage. Processes that were efficient in the past, like digital marketing, can become very time consuming, which makes self-management unsustainable in workflow management.
At face value, a simple option might be to engage a business administrator allowing you to focus on the more important aspects of the business. The business administrator would be in charge of recruiting, handling work correspondence, social media marketing, PR and staff and affiliate management, among others.
This is all good, but being an extra employee, the financial burden on the business is considerable, especially for smaller businesses with cash flow and profitability snugs. In addition, lots of time must be devoted to the advertising, recruiting and training process before they are proficient enough to handle your business by themselves.
There’s a simpler solution however; thanks to WordPress and its over-active community of developers, you can get plugins to handle most of your repetitive administration tasks, including specialist fields like mobile marketing (often free or at minimal initial cost). By using plugins, you eliminate the costs of having a new person on your staff, and it also allows you to stay in control of your administration – win-win!
There are plenty of examples, but below are three plugins that you can use for general business administration.
- CRM
WP-CRM is a customer relationship management (CRM) plugin that includes features to store customer details and notes, schedule meetings and reminders as well as manage user capabilities and roles. WP Issues CRM is another alternative.
- Email marketing and management
Email marketing is part of any business’s marketing strategy and with your WordPress CRM; you can use details to speedily design and embed content into newsletters in Mailpoet Newsletters to be transmitted to your customers. This includes integration for recent posts, features to auto-trigger creation and sending of email newsletter. You can also use The Newsletter Plugin for more advanced options including pre-programmed templates and social media integration.
- Invoicing
WP-Invoice is another free plugin that seamlessly integrates with WP-CRM and delivers advanced invoicing functionalities include configuration of multiple payment options, invoice creation and client tracking, among others. Smart Invoice Billing Management Plugin should be your choice if you’re looking for an easier-to-use option.
Contact us today for more information!
by Marelise da Silva | Sep 17, 2015 | Website Design, Website Development
Several web development companies have emerged over the recent years after people and businesses have realised the effects of websites in business ventures. However, not all web developers have the necessary skills, experience and abilities to develop a great website for your business. Nevertheless, a web developer is amongst the most important service providers you can hire for a business. This is because the developer will create the face of your business online and enhance its virtual interaction with customers. To hire a great web developer, you need to consider certain factors.
Longevity
Consider the period for which the web developer has been in the industry. A developer who has been in the industry long enough has acquired the necessary expertise and experience. This is because if a web developer had not been providing good services, customers would have been dissatisfied and therefore they would not have acquired the necessary profit for sustaining their business. Thus, they would no longer be in business.
Interview the developer
Before hiring a web developer, ask them questions that will enable you to determine their suitability for your web development project. Do not ask the developer questions they can easily answer, instead, ask open-ended questions then listen to the answers they give you. Consider the response that the developer gives and how they explain technical terms before hiring them.
Cost-effectiveness
Consider the value you get for the service you hire. A developer might charge you a low price, but offer poor quality service. Therefore, consider the quality of the service you are paying for. Choose a web developer who has an established reputation of offering the most cost-effective services.
Technical support
After offering the service, a web developer should not disappear completely. They should stick around to provide technical support where and when necessary. Therefore, choose a web developer who guarantees and offers after-service support.
With the number of companies that offer web development services increasing by the day, it is not enough to just hire a web developer. Strive to hire a great web developer.
If you are looking to hire an experienced web development company then talk to us today.
by Marelise da Silva | Feb 19, 2015 | Website Design, Website Development
If you’re building or redesigning your website, do you need a web developer or a web designer? Developers and designers do quite different jobs, so the service you require will depend on what kind of work you need done. Here’s a brief look at what each profession generally does.
Web Designers
Web designers are responsible for the overall visual design of your website. This includes everything from the colour scheme, to the graphics, to the layout, to the fonts and you can think of them as Internet artists. If you want to make your website more visually appealing, or want to update the look and feel of your current site, a web designer can certainly help. When a potential customer visits your website you should consider what their first impression will be because it’s very important. People like websites that are clean looking, clutter-free and easy to navigate.
Web Developers
Web developers do more behind-the-scenes work. They ensure all the buttons work, all the links lead where they’re supposed to, that your social media feeds are properly integrated, that multiple language pages are translated correctly and that any add-ons or widgets installed on your site are functioning as they should. Another important duty of web developers is to ensure your website is picked up by various search engines – this is critical and often involves a fair amount of search engine optimisation work. If you have an e-commerce page on your site, developers are responsible for providing customers with a seamless, easy way to purchase your products and services.
The choice to hire a web designer or a web developer will depend on the type of work your site requires, but we recommend hiring both so they can work together and make your website the best it can be.
For more information about how our team of web design specialists can help your business, or if you have any general inquiries about the digital marketing and web design services we provide, please do not hesitate to contact us today. We look forward to hearing from you.
