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: 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, […]
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Optimizing for Smartphone and Mobile Device Users is a Must
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 […]
To read the full article, please visit our site ...Your Landing Page’s First Impression Lasts Forever: Make it 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 […]
To read the full article, please visit our site ...Tips 4 Designing Landing Pages That Will Attract & Keep Users
Maintaining a modernized website is a vital aspect of any business. Just like seasonal fashion lines, online presence is a changing atmosphere that must be constantly adapted to command attention. After a search, your landing page is the first your user will see. Similar to the cover of a book, if it’s not appealing, the viewer will assume the same goes for the rest of your site. Think of it as an audition or a first impression. So what’s in your control? How do you know what to change? One of the most influential factors, if not the most influential, is colour. It’s the first sense that the brain interprets, and in order to have an effective and attractive landing page, its adequate integration is vital. Here are a few tips on how you can apply colour to increase viewership and time spent on your site: Firstly, design your landing page for your demographic. Gender Depending on your product or viewership goals, you probably have some type of target audience. If you’re not sure, it’s important you find out; your success could depend on it! The attractiveness of your website pages will persuade someone to stay and play or leave and never return. For women the most appealing colours consist of purple, green, and blue, while orange, grey, and brown are the least. It’s important not to overdo it; this research doesn’t mean to splash your site with the same colours over and over again. Rather, your landing page and primary selling pages should consist of similar schemes to identify your brand. It’s still important to keep it simple and not overcomplicate. Targeting the male demographic Surprisingly similar to the female, blue, green, and black have shown to elicit the most positive responses, while brown, orange and purple do the opposite. These are the classic ‘manly’ colours, and should be prominent around the calls to action and the sections of your page you want to notice the most. The slang and embedded images have plenty to do with the attractiveness of your landing pages and they too must complement each other. Age Children hold a significant influence on where their parents’ money is spent. Use this to your advantage, and sell to them as much as you do their mom and dad. As you can imagine, the younger your target demographic, the brighter and more attention-grabbing your landing page needs to be. Children appreciate web pages that apply colours like red, orange, pink, and yellow. Discontent and depressing are more associated with brown, purple, and surprisingly blue. Of course, the hues/shades of these do make a difference as well, and these should only be used as general guidelines. As later […]
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