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Effectively Integrating Large, Noticeable Images into Your Website Design

Web design using large images is perfect for grabbing attention, but can also be a detriment. Here are some tips in order to maximize effectiveness.
On almost all modern websites, there are slider ads, background images, marketing graphics, or any number of other creations to avoid blank space. As page development becomes increasingly inexpensive and user-friendly, designing a website that features movement and rotating hero shots is now the norm. The trend is catching fire between large corporate and small business sites alike.

We can see the strategy used here to a medium degree on the Ikea homepage:

Retrieved from ikea.ca

And to an even larger degree on the Scotiabank page:

Scotiabank

Retrieved from scotiabank.com

How the large image trend became a trend

All the marketing geniuses of the world wouldn’t be using large images on homepages if it wasn’t effective for some reason. For the most part, if used correctly, it can be as sleek as it is sexy. Especially when used as a background picture, the image works two-fold as it doesn’t take the room of precious content, and it makes the page immediately unforgettable. If it’s a flashy product or an attractive person, interest levels have a way of automatically rising. So, what could possibly go wrong?

You know how you feel ill when you see those commercials with a middle-aged man and wife, their 2.2 kids, and a golden retriever? It’s a similar case if you use stock photography on your website. So, in order for your large images – or any images for that matter – to be effective, invest in high-quality, personable camera work. This is just one of the many small discoveries that have been made during the investigation of the effectiveness of large photography on the web.

Effectively using a small image versus a large image to invite user reaction

Papiris wanted to increase the number of submissions on their Contact Us page. They kept the old page while going live with the new in order to compare, and made the following adjustments:

  • Removed bullet points to be replaced with short, sentenced copy
  • Removed the ability to scroll and navigate to other pages (to an extent)
  • Inserted a large background image and solidified the print

After these simple transformations, the newly designed page decreased the number of users who immediately left the site by 27%, and increased the number of submissions by 36%. The company used this data as a starting point and continued to apply background image tests on their other pages with success.

Large images on your website work, but to what extent? Four basic guidelines:

The problem with the above case studies is that they already had popular, optimized websites. Their raised conversion rates can’t be well rationalized or purely credited to graphics. The large images weren’t added to a failing website or just because they were trendy, so their effectiveness becomes very difficult to judge. Can this design type still work for moderate or small businesses?

To tell the truth, I really like this design type. If there isn’t a picture there – it’s just space. Too much writing is a hassle and also a turn-off for most users. So what’s left? Keep in mind it’s not Facebook or Instagram, so having a multitude of images is redundant and cluttered. Large-scale, beautiful, singular graphics seems to be the most optimal of solutions.

Overall, though this started as an analysis, but this article ended up to be well into the ‘for’ column in support of mega-images. But, they’re certainly not to be taken for granted. Consider the following when applying this design:

1) Give the user the option to scale them down

This can be as simple as a small “hide” selection or a mouse-over function. While they’re attractive at first, they can become too annoying or distracting. So if the viewer has the choice, it’s kind of the best of both worlds, right?

2) Make sure they aren’t too busy

The sports equipment image worked well because it was a landscape; there weren’t too many colours or textures. You will have to put text and content overtop the image, so make sure there’s not too much going on at once that will distract or confuse the user. The hue and brightness schemes become vital at this stage as well.

3) Be personable

We can’t state this enough! Use an image – or images depending on the number of pages – that are unique to your website. It’ll be much more effective than some drab graphic that was dragged from a stock image selection.

4) Test, and test again

You may love your page design, but as you quickly learn, others may not. Have any friends and colleague at your disposal take an unbiased look at your new design that features a fantastic, large background image. Test functionality and clarity, and be as objective a judge as you can.

The web-world is constantly changing and you won’t keep up, especially if you don’t have the dollars that the big marketing corporations do. Trust your gut, do your best, and your website will take care of itself. You just have to ask, what’s the best image I can input that will have the most effective cosmetic and meaningful impact?

Optimizing for Smartphone and Mobile Device Users is a Must

Optimizing your site for mobiles and smartphones is imperative for your business. Here's why the investment is an absolute requirement.

It’s becoming a problem, and many have noted it as an already staggering addiction; I am at the point where I’m nervous if I don’t have my smartphone on me. And trust me, I’m not the only one. I’m not even a business owner, so I can only imagine what effect being phoneless has on someone whose livelihood depends on it. So, with a mobile or something similar always at hand, there’s bound to be a distinct effect on how people traverse the fad we call the internet, and therein, how they shop and educate themselves on products.

What does this mean for you? In short, if your website isn’t optimized for mobile and smartphone use, you’re putting yourself out of a lot of opportunities. A lot might even be an understatement. Here we discuss why it’s worth putting the extra cash into making your website mobile-friendly or choose a mobile responsive theme for your website on Nili Site.

The Stats Behind Optimizing for Mobile

Consumers now spend more time with online retail on mobile devices – including smartphones and tablets – than on their desktops and laptops. There’s a lot of waiting to go on in this world; whether it be on a plane, train, or in an automobile. Not to mention at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). To rid themselves of boredom, people have a ton available at their fingertips to kill the time.

In July 2013, 45% of time spent with regards to online retail shopping was done so with a smartphone or similar mobile device. Since October 2013, this number has not dropped below 50% and in June 2014, the most notable increase hit 60%. If you and your site aren’t concerned with optimizing for mobile, you’ve potentially given up on almost two-thirds of your prospect base.

As if that wasn’t enough, there are also a number of US digital retail visitors that do so solely on their mobile device. As of January 2015, 13% of Americans only online shoppe via their smartphone, tablet, etc. To simplify the point: if your site isn’t being optimized for mobile users, you are literally eliminating over 10% of your possible consumers. Staggering.

If you and your site aren’t concerned with optimising for mobile, you’ve potentially given up on almost two-thirds of your prospect base.

Google Loves Optimizing For Mobile; So Should You

Google released its new Hummingbird Algorithm for how it uses its bugs to searches through keywords, graphics, web content, etc. There were a number of new changes, but they notably increased their rankings for optimizing for mobile use. This included an internal look at their own mobile and voice-related search activities as well, so you know they mean business. What does it mean for you? If your site is not being optimized for smartphones, you’ll take a serious hit in rankings.

This is inherently linked to load times as well, as 30% of mobile shoppers discard a transaction on a site that is not readily tablet or smartphone friendly. If a page takes three or more seconds to load, 57% of mobile customers will abandon your site altogether. Google takes all of these factors into account, and the more effort you put into optimizing for mobile, the more you will be found. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Increased Traffic and Conversion Rates

With higher ranks on Google, you’ll increase your traffic. That’s a fact. But remember that not every business is putting as much cash into optimizing for mobile as they should be, so users will quickly move onto the next option. I’m the same way! I don’t want to wait for what I want now. So, if you are one of the ones that can load quickly on my smartphone, with a noticeable Call-to-Action and a tidbit on what you can do for me, I’m much more likely to treat you well. I’ll take the time to at the very least give your site a cursory look because you took the time to make my life easier.

And, because you were so kind to me, I am more likely to buy something from you. It’s pretty much a good customer service standard that you make your site accessible. I shouldn’t have to work to buy something from you, right? I know you’re giving me a good product, but streamlining the mobile process is a sure way to increase your conversions. Not to mention, if I’m on a smartphone, spreading the good word also becomes a much easier endeavor.

In Summary

Remember this doesn’t just go to your site; optimizing for mobile is a necessity for all aspects of your inbound move. This includes your social media feeds (which should be done anyway, but make sure), your email campaigns, your blog and interior pages, etc. The better the functionality of your site is from any type of smartphone or tablet, the more sales you will have; or, at the very least, the more sales you will give yourself the chance of being able to make.

Remember when you’re optimizing, you may have to cut some things from your mobile site, depending on the apparatus the user fancies. What do you think a mobile site should include to effectively increase conversion rates? Do you find the mass increase in mobile shoppers an inconvenience, or do you consider it an opportunity for you to up sales?

Your Landing Page’s First Impression Lasts Forever: Make it a Good One

First impressions, ie your landing page, are vital for inbound; it dictates if prospects stay or go. Ways to make sure yours is a good one:

You have written plenty of pieces on the content of your site, and that is vital for collecting viewership, but the first things your viewer sees are the most important in capturing their attention.

That’s part of the reason a Call to Action is important, especially on your landing page, so viewers aren’t asking questions about what their role is in the buying process. And, especially with all the competition out there, the look a prospect gives your site will be cursory at best.

An abundance of research shows how important a first impression is, and even if that first impression is later proved to be wrong, there’s no real coming back from it. So, what can you do on your website to make sure you nail your first impression?

We have a few ideas that’ll help:

1) Find What Makes a Poor First Impression?

For me, it’s initial load times. If a landing page takes too long to load, I’m impatient, will hit the back button, and go to the next one on whatever Google returned. (And this is why Google considers your website load times!)

Secondly, if I find the website doesn’t answer my question or service relatively quickly, I’m bound to move onto another option. If there are too many irrelative pop-ups or the layout seems old-fashioned and difficult to navigate, well, if you’re not contemporary, you’re probably not worth buying from.

2) Try a Short Video

I used to work in corporate and commercial media, writing and producing videos running from $2000 all the way up to $50,000 in cost. There are some amazing things you can do with 2D and 3D graphics to capture viewer attention to make a great first impression.

This Psychology Today article helps break it down. Consumers are 39% more likely to share content if it’s delivered by video, 36% more likely to comment, and 56% more likely to “like” it.

Moreover, a video is perfect on your landing page to inform your customers as well as increase your viewership. Watching a video is passive and does not take nearly as much effort as reading. It just requires less processing. Which in some areas may be bad, but when trying to produce conversions, going the route where the brain processes information 60,000 times faster is definitely the safer bet.

3) Being Too Vague and Impersonal

When shopping online, consumers usually have a good idea of what they’re looking for. It’s not like walking through a mall and “window shopping”; they’ve deliberately searched for a specific item or service, and your first impression – again, usually on your landing page – tells whether they’ve found it.

So, when they land on your site, they want to see what you have to offer and for how much. This is what’s called a value proposition. It’s not a slogan or a call to action, but can be somewhat related to both of them. It can include bullet points, a 2-3 sentence paragraph, visuals, etc.; as long as it’s concise and clear. You want a person who knows nothing about your site to see it, and in one sentence, be able to pass onto their friend exactly what you’re offering. Your Call to Action is then the medium to the conversion.

Seeming like a faceless corporate entity can also lose you some prospects as well. Despite it being an online process, consumers still want to know they’re buying and helping someone local or someone personable rather than funding the corporate machine. This can be as simple as a few sentence mission statement of the Founder/CEO, a picture, or a short bio. It doesn’t necessarily have to be on your landing page, but a bit somewhere on your site is sure to benefit.

4) Spark Interest for a Great First Impression

Just like playing the dating game, the key to starting and continuing a successful relationship (at least one of them) is sparking interest. A study was conducted where participants ranked sites of what sparked their interest, spending only 20 seconds on each site. The results, in order, were:

  • Logos
  • Navigation menus
  • Search Box
  • Link to Social Media
  • Primary Image
  • Written Content
  • Bottom of the Page

Take this list and conduct a vetting process for your own website. I think how these items are ranked is pretty accurate, so make sure that your pages follow this order of what’s catchy and exciting. On a budget? Think of it as a game of Risk: you don’t have to distribute your pieces evenly at the start of the game, and similarly, when starting your website on Nili Site, put the majority of efforts into what matters.

To Sum Up

A first impression is vital and near-impossible to come back from. Don’t let it go to waste, especially after all the extensive labour you’ve put into drawing viewership in the first place. I say it all the time: have an objective third-party scan your site and tell them to be as critical as possible. You don’t have to pay for it; there are enough in-laws in your family who will be happy enough to find reasons to criticise you.

What do you think are the most important factors in spicing up a website’s first impression? Why are you most likely to ignore a site, and how can it be efficiently mended?

7 Most Used Free Email Address Providers In Canada

There are 7 most used free email address providers in Canada. They are major means of online communication.

Do you know about the 7 most used free email address providers in Canada? They are – Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, iCloud, AOL, GMX, and Nili. Besides being a major source of online communication, emails are also the easiest medium for online communication. It is useful and valid, making it a valuable tool. Companies and enterprises rely on email, rather than other options.

Who doesn’t have an email account nowadays? Perhaps, the time is ripe to change your email provider. Most email services have been around for many years. If this makes you think you’ve seen them all before, you should take another look. Hotmail is a distant memory; Microsoft has moved its users to Outlook.com and had worked real hard to steal users from Gmail with its Scroogled campaign. In Yahoo, millions of people rely on it for their messaging. Google frequently tweaks Gmail. Apple has given iCloud, and some smaller players include GMX and AOL with solid service.

The rating and some information:

Google Gmail

Rating: 4/5

Gmail is a lightweight, minimalist design for speed, and most of the screen is taken up by the inbox. There is a new “labs” feature, which splits a view horizontally or vertically, with the inbox in one-half and the current email in the other. It is merely a different way of organising email and arguably more effective, because folders for organising messages aren’t supported; instead, you attach labels.

It takes time to get used to it, but if you simply know the right commands to enter the search box, you can do some filtering, which isn’t possible with rival services.

There are many ways to view email. Priority inbox puts what Gmail thinks is important at the top. Gmail can automatically sort messages by content.

There are more interface themes these days and an option to use any image you like for the background. Here, emails from other POP accounts can be collected and contacts imported. So, switching to Gmail is easy. There are more configuration options than most other services.

The big issue with Gmail is the privacy. Your emails will be read by a bot to target advertisements to you.

Microsoft Outlook.com:

Rating: 4/5

The interface of Outlook.com is similar to traditional email, with a folder list on the left “including inbox, drafts and sent.” Most screens list the contents of the current folder. It enables you to browse the inbox and read emails at the same time.

Like most other email services, the organisation of email folders is straightforward. Your messages can easily be dragged to your folder and a rule created to sort incoming mail automatically. A quick views section automatically categorises messages to a degree, and there are more categories here than Gmail. Rules can be created to assign incoming messages to categories.

Messages can be archived; sweep moves or delete all messages from a sender. If you get junk mail, Outlook can try to unsubscribe from that sender. You can add other POP3 mail accounts. You can import contacts from places like Facebook and elsewhere.

Yahoo! Mail:

Rating: 3/5

Yahoo! has a modern look and feel, and themes are available with a plain or photographic background. “There is a panel with the inbox, sent, spam, trash and other system folders” and a list of email on the right from whatever folder you select. You can add a preview pane to enable you to browse folders.

Here, tabs are optional, so you can read and type mail at the same time in different tabs. Menus under the tabs provide many accesses. There are facilities for creating filters that automatically sort incoming messages, and folders can be dragged or dropped into other ones.

Other email accounts can be added, so all messages can be seen in one place. Extra email addresses can be linked here. Contacts with Facebook, Google, and other import options and calendar are available.

Apple iCloud:

Rating: 3/5

Its web-based version is disappointing and less functional than the mobile version. On the iPhone or iPad, Mail can be set up to access other email accounts, but on the website, you can only have access to iCloud email. Its service is designed with simplicity; it’s typically in Apple fashion.

It has a three-pane view on the left; the inbox list is in the middle and selected messages on the right. It is straightforward, easy to understand, and looks very nice, but there are no options to customise it. The reading pane can’t be hidden or displayed below the inbox list.

Folders can be created and emails dragged and dropped in them. Rules also can be created to sort messages automatically. You can make a sender VIP that will ensure you don’t miss important emails.

GMX Mail:

Rating: 3/5

GMX Mail is tiny in popularity compared to Google, Outlook, and Yahoo! It can be configured to import Facebook contacts and import from Outlook, CSV files, and other sources. It can fetch email from other addresses and general POP3 accounts. It can be customised with themes and the positioning of the reading pane. There are also adverts.

There is a folder panel on the left, where additional folders can be created; messages can be debugged and dropped to organise them manually. Filters can be created also. There is a contact panel. GMX has more features than iCloud and has an unusual ability to insert a photo captured live from webcam and overlay cartoon shapes. 

AOL Mail:

Rating: 3/5

It was the leading inter-service provider 20 years ago. It has struggled since. Unlike other email address services, it shows newsfeed with the latest headlines. So, it is distracting to click the links when you should be dealing with your mail. Another distraction is the theme.

The usual folder list is on the left, and additional folders can be created, dragged from the inbox, moved from the menu, or rules can be created to place incoming mail in the appropriate folders. Its feature is similar to iCloud Mail. All the basic features are present, but you can’t collect emails from another account.

Nili Mail:

It is a newer email service than the others. It is the only free Canadian email account provider. It is designed for email business, particularly, for the unique Canadian market. It’s the easy, fast, and reliable emailing.

It has a contact list, 1 GB disk space (for reputable accounts), calendar, to-do list, beautiful webmail app, schedule sent email, spam free, and email support. It also has mobile, tablet, and desktop Sync options. You can bring your mailbox from anywhere, like Gmail, iCloud etc.

And the most important factor, unlike other providers, Nili keeps all email messages inside Canada and offers one business day online support to all users.

Here, you can see why we believe that every Canadian should create a free Nili eMail address.

Do you know any other free email provider in Canada? Share them with us.

Importance of Having An Email Based on Own Domain Name

Importance of having email based on own domain name (for businesses) has become a very important issue in today internet based world.

Nowadays, people do not give much time in searching the importance of having email based on own domain name. They simply browse the Internet for searching the information. Search engines like Yahoo, Google, Youtube, Wikipedia, Bing, amzon.com are some popular search engines. People mostly search using a specific address. That is why your own email address based on your domain name is important. It must work for you only, not for anything else.

What is the Domain Name

A domain name is a component of branding which identifies a person, business or organisation in the Internet. Domain name represents numeric IP (Internet Protocol) of individual computers. IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) controls most domain names. Yahoo.com, facebook.com, Gmail.com, monster.com, amazon.com, and nili.ca are some examples of domain names.

Confusion About Domain Name And Email?

Most people are unable to take the advantage of domain names because of their limited knowledge. As a result, they use their personal email address for their website. But using a personal email address as website is not professional actually.[email protected] is more professional than [email protected] or[email protected].
A company, entity or person, holding a domain name is called domain name registrant. In case of an office, business, company, corporation or organisation, the domain name registrant must be the name of that office, business, company, corporation or organisation, not the name of any individual person. A domain name registrant ensures which specific organisation is maintaining that domain name. A registrant has the total authority of the domain name. It can be transferred, sold or changed at any time.

Fulfil The Expectation Of A Customer

A customer expects to deal with that company which owns a domain name and website. A domain-based email address fulfils their expectation which proves that you are a businessman and you have an Internet presence for finding easily. In this case, the word after @ becomes important in your business just like your username. Domain name also helps to increase credibility. Many other importance of having email based on own domain name are described below:

Reasons For Being Important

Having own domain email address is the easiest way to promote a company without any effort or extra cost. For making your company memorable to the clients, you must increase the visibility of the name of you company. With the help of domain email, you can make your clients remember your company. They can also share or recommend your company’s name easily. Actually domain email works as advertisement.
Domain name proves the establishment of your business. A client cannot trust you if you are unable to prove that you are professional. This proves that you are serious about your business. This builds the trust of the client; this trust makes your company a Brand. The clients are motivated to deal with you or buy your products.
If your business is connected with social media or email marketing, then having a domain email is the easiest way to serve your purpose. You will get maximum visitor if the clients can find you easily on internet.
A custom domain will help you in creating custom email addresses. By doing this, your business will look bigger actually. So, there is no need to promote Nili, Yahoo, Gmail or Hotmail, but promote your own company with your own domain email address. You can use custom email addresses for different purposes like sale, marketing, advertising, information, support, inquiry, products, facilities etc.
You do not need to invest money for marketing, business cards, and letterheads. Your domain name will work as your business card. It really saves your money, tension, time and energy.
You can move the place of your office anytime, but it will not hamper your business. The old clients will be able to find you by using your domain based email address. Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) can be changed or moved, but your email address will never change.

How To Do It

For a domain based email address, you have to follow same instructions which are very easy. At first you need to send a request on our business email page. Then we will add your domain name to Nili servers and you will have access to admin portal.